Shifting Feelings
by TheRantDragon
Summary: Wally West was just a scientist trying to get by in the crime ridden Gotham City, and it was all working out until the night he met the mysterious Artemis Crock. Romance blooms as the violence in Gotham rises beyond imaginable possibilities. And the dangers that lie hidden in the slums are nothing Wally's science can explain. Spitfire AU.
1. Blood and Rain

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**So, this is my first multi-chaptered fic that is completely and 100% done BEFORE I start posting it! I'm thinking every Friday or so will be the update days. This fic is strong T, and it's really long and probably pretty crappy but whatever!**

**I want to thank my best broski IronicVeghead for helping me through this fic every step of the way, and keeping my ass on it so I wouldn't just leave it in the dust. I also want to tell you all she has a wonderful piece of fanart for this first chapter on her deviantart page under the same name of IronicVeghead. There is a link in my profile.  
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**This is an AU.**

**Please enjoy the first chapter!**

**o.o.o.o**

****Chapter length: 6,066 words****

**o.o.o.o**

Wally West was having one of those days where the world was completely against his entire existence.

It seemed like he had those a lot; three times a week and at least once on the weekends. Maybe it had something to do with how he tried to live his life a little too fast, or at least that's what Dick was always telling him

Personally he chalked it up to a shitty alarm clock, his inability to do his laundry at the beginning of each week (his mom had always told him laundry would be his downfall when he moved out), and the fact that he had left his umbrella at Dick's.

Which, of course, meant that Mother Nature had decided to dump about ten metric shit tons of water onto the streets of Gotham City that day. _All day_. And throw in some lightning and thunder, too.

Most of these things Wally could shrug off fairly easily with one simple thought: food. A bad start to the day could be remedied by sinking his teeth into a delicious, piping hot jelly filled donut from _Hello! Megan_. It was like warm, gooey happiness melted perfectly into a ball of pastry, and the only thing that made it even _better _was having it handed to you over the counter by the incredibly chipper, dimple cheeked redhead, Megan, who ran the place. With her moody boyfriend narrowing his eyes dangerously in the background.

Megan had absolutely _nothing _to do with Wally's ritual visits to the place, though. Conner was definitely paranoid.

As it was, though, Wally's day was further ruined because his stupid late alarm clock allowed him for no time to stop at the bakery. Which was an absolute _travesty _as far as he was concerned.

No food, no smiling Megan.

Good thing he had his beloved science to look forward to.

Science that turned out to involve: a broken coffee maker (not even coffee to tide his protesting stomach until lunch); some pretty massive paperwork that he had not been prepared for; a few dozen broken beakers courtesy of the elbow of the clumsy over-shadowing college student who also happened to be his dweeb cousin; and spilling some chemicals all over his lab coat. Luckily they weren't anything volatile, but still.

Did he seem like the kind of guy that was going to spend hours getting that stain out of his laundry with a heavy duty detergent stick?

The rain poured down all day long, pattering against the building, thunder occasionally shaking the panes. Normally something like the weather could never get Wally's mood down, but he was pretty sure the no food thing had been the final straw, the one that sent him over the edge into bitter disgust with the day.

He was one hundred percent done with his life by the time it was over. His stomach was digesting itself from the inside out as he traipsed home in the rain and the dark, creating a barrier between himself and the insistent water with the umbrella he'd been forced to borrow from his beaker breaker of a cousin.

Everyone he walked passed was hunched over, boots slapping quickly along the paths.

Lightning brightened his vision every so often, spurring him to move a little faster towards Bibbo's diner at the end of the block. It was the closest food joint near the Star Labs building he worked in and one of his regular hang outs. He was planning on ordering about ten cheeseburgers, and be damned with the looks he would probably get from confused patrons.

He'd show the world what he thought about today by eating twice his own body weight in greasy food.

Wally made it to the end of the block without being struck by lightning, which on a day like this he considered quite a feat even with the very low probability of something like that actually happening. He stood under the awning of Bibbo's, snapping his umbrella closed and shaking all the water out of it. He could already feel himself perk up majorly at the delicious smells wafting through the door.

His head moved idly as he gathered the rain-soaked material to secure it shut. Through the rain, he could barely make out the buildings, each looking more and more dilapidated and disused the further away from Bibbo's. It was kind of like the inside of Wally's fridge, where the out of date food got pushed into the back to make way for the new. He felt like if he stepped off the edge of the sidewalk, it would be like stepping challengingly over a dividing line made out of invisible duct tape.

He was looking at the slums. Or at least, one of the slums. Probably the most notorious one, if all the stories Dick told from this area were to be believed. It made Wally shake his head in pity; how could the city have let it's crime rate become so out of control, that even it's arguably massive police force couldn't put a stop to it?

_Maybe _I _should have become a cop_, Wally mused, but dismissed it just as quickly because there was no way in hell he was abandoning his science. As appealing as putting his life on the line for others safety was, he was more than comfortable helping keep people safe in a more scientific fashion from a lab.

With that thought, Wally reached for the handle on the diner's glass door.

That's when he heard the gun shots.

Wally wasn't a born Gothamite, having moved from the Midwest, but he'd learned very early on that gunshots in Gotham City were about as normal as breathing air.

It was sad to say, but most pedestrians had learned to largely ignore the noise and continue on their way. The police would take care of it, after all, and there was no need to endanger one's life by getting involved.

The redhead, however, always paused in concern. The sound of gun fire would set his blood pumping in his veins, making him feel like he needed to be somewhere in a flash, doing something for someone. Dick had warned him about that trait, told him that someday it would get him killed if he didn't learn to keep it in check.

But Wally had always held a certain sense of justice, and it was making itself known right in that moment.

The sound of the shot rang in his ears for what felt like an eternity, echoing off the buildings and playing games with his eardrums. As he turned his head toward the slums where it had undoubtedly emanated from, he could have sworn he caught a swift movement streak across his vision. It was accompanied by the sound of two more shots, and what he may have mistakenly heard as the whining sound of a wounded dog.

Flashes from the guns being shot had drawn his attention to the street opposite Bibbo's, just across the invisible division line that seperated the slums. Wally's fingers curled into his palm, yet he remained remarkably calm as he squinted through the curtains of rain. He made out the silhouette of s broad shouldered individual that an abrupt flash of lightning illuminated. They yelled something harshly, turning and running into the alley.

Then the streets were empty, and and eerie calm settled over Wally. The droplets of rain pattering onto the street were somehow magnified after the racket the shots had caused.

"What the…" he mumbled, hesitating at the door to the diner. His heart was pounding, like he had been an actual participant in the altercation he had just witnessed. He wondered if searching the area would be the right thing to do; he knew it wasn't the sane or safe thing to do, but something that frothed strongly in his gut told him that he would be letting someone down (or _die_) if he didn't pick his feet up and go check out a block or two.

"Dick's right," Wally whispered, unfurling his umbrella once more. "I'm definitely going to get myself killed."

Somehow he didn't much care. Wally was certified in CPR, and he knew well and good enough how to provide some pretty intense first aid care; that automatically, in his conscience, made him morally obligated to offer up his assistance when and wherever he could. Mary West hadn't raised him any other way than to be there and help when permitted, and he was going to be that way until he was six feet under.

Which could happen within the next few minutes if he wasn't cautious.

There was no one else around, just Wally and his shoes splashing in the steadily rising water, his heart thumping. He used to be a runner in high school, and he still spent a lot of his time going on jogs through the city, but it had been a long time since he'd felt his blood sing in his veins like this, like he'd just finished a 10k.

"Hey!" he called, loud enough that it echoed; the people in the alley on the other side of the street could easily come back at any moment. What had happened to them, anyway? "Hey, is anyone out here? Anyone need some help?"

He stopped just beneath a broken street light, peering into the dark alley he had stopped in front of. It was really hard to hear anything over the pitter patter of rain and the loud, rumbling thunder that shook all the way up into his chest. He almost imagined he heard a dog whining again, but he was positive it was just the weather playing tricks on him.

The scientist lent his ears to his surroundings for quite some time, frowning when no cries for help reached him.

"Hmm…" he wondered, looking this way and that. He shrugged to himself, intent on exploring a little further into the slums before calling it quits.

He had barely taken one step away from the alley when he finally heard something.

Wally was impressed that he even caught the sound above the din of mother nature. It sounded like ragged, pained breaths; it reminded him of a panting animal in fact, but far more human. Uncertainly, he took a step back, peering into the eerie shadows again.

"Anyone in here? If you're hurt, I can get some help," he called. Absently, he felt around in his pocket to make sure he still had his cell phone on him. Luckily, the universe had been nice enough to not curse him into dropping it in the toilet that morning.

A pained moan, followed by a deafening crash of metal was the only thing that answered him. The hairs on the back of Wally's neck raised in alarm; there was definitely someone in there, and it sounded like they weren't in the world's best condition.

Wally didn't even hesitate after that. It was like something switched on inside of himself, blocking out any fear that had been lingering inside of him and spurring him forward like he had a life to save. And he did, he hoped, if he could just act fast enough.

More thunder boomed, followed by a lightning streak that seared his vision and gave him a momentary glimpse of the figure slumped on the ground between the narrow brick walls.

Swallowing thickly, he ran the last few feet and skidded to a stop, regretfully sloshing muddy water over the body. At last he was close enough to distinguish the figure without jagged lightning tearing across the sky above.

The sight made his blood run cold.

It was a woman.

Her bare olive skin, which was all but exposed to the battering elements, was slick with rain. The defined line of her jaw was clenched in terrible pain, and the impossible mane of blonde hair that sprouted from her skull was floating unheeded in the rising water level. His shoe pressed down on some of it where he stood above her, and he quickly pulled his foot away.

What caught his attention more readily than any other detail, however, was the terrifying scarlet that mixed with the water surrounding her shivering body.

A pitiful groan parted her lips, spraying droplets water away from them. One of her eyes opened with great effort, and he could tell she was in some state between consciousness and delirium, judging by the way she had to make great effort to keep the dark iris from rolling up into her skull.

Wally was dumbfounded, but he was at least attentive enough to immediately dig his cell phone out of his pocket and start dialing 911.

"Don't," a voice croaked. Wally looked down, surprised that she had been able to speak to him at all; the shock of it should have robbed her of her voice, but she was doing even more than just speaking. The woman managed to push herself up onto her elbow, reaching out with her other hand like she intended very much to crawl away from him.

"Don't move!" he insisted, bending down to place a hand on her shoulder. She turned rather sharply to look at him, wincing, eyes rolling in their sockets. "I'm calling an ambulance for you, you've been hurt!"

"I… k-know that… mo-... idiot," she hissed, her voice husky and strangled. "_Unnnnh_," she moaned, clutching at the side of her abdomen with both hands, rolling onto her back. Wally's eyes quickly moved over her body calculatingly; her face, along her neck, across her breasts, her abdomen, which was heaving with labored breaths. He surmised that the wound was hidden from his sight beneath her clasping hands.

Judging from the amount of crimson spilling into the rainwater, it was pretty serious.

"I'm calling for help," he said firmly.

"_Please_," the woman gasped. He couldn't tell if the water in her eyes was rain or tears. Her clenching hands were slippery with her own blood, making it hard for her to keep them steadily over her wound. "Please… don't call… No hospitals."

"You're insane," Wally insisted, growing desperate. What the hell did she want him to do, then, just let her die on the street? Fat chance.

"Don't…"

Wally scowled, then chewed at his bottom lip, casting a glance into the sheeting rain over his shoulder.

He _had _to get this woman out of the rain, somewhere safe and dry where her wounds could be tended. He would much prefer to call in professionals that stood a better chance at saving her, but had he not risked his life to come over here because he knew a fair deal about first aid himself?

_But she was shot. I don't know how to remove a bullet..._

It didn't matter, the blonde was already attempting to roll over onto her side so she could move away from his obviously unwanted presence. He had no doubt that if she kept this up, she'd caused herself to bleed out even faster from exertion. Calling an ambulence would just make her exert herself even harder, which was the worst thing she could do for herself if there happened to be a bullet lodged inside her somewhere.

She needed help right the fuck now and Wally was her only option.

Determined, the redhead dropped his umbrella, immediately feeling the fat droplets of water slam into his skin like tiny pinpricks of cold ice. He took his jacket off smoothly, draping it over her body as best he could. The woman watched him with hooded eyes, still sucking in air like she had completed a marathon that included running for her life from a pack of wild dogs.

Wally crouched down in front of her.

"Well if you won't let me get you some help, then I'm at least getting you somewhere safe. I'm going to have to pick you up, and it's not going to feel good at all," he informed her gravely, already preparing himself for it. Infuriatingly enough, she woman let out a small bark of a laugh before crying out and wincing, fingers curling in the undulating skin near her wound. Part of him wanted to peel her palms away and look at it now, but he knew that would do neither of them any good until he had her somewhere dry.

"The hell you are," she wheezed, rolling away from him so that his previously clean jacket fell into the trashy water. Wally scowled at the thing as it washed away down the alley, out onto the street. He'd be mad over that later… assuming she lived for him to be mad _at_.

_Please live_, he thought with a lump in his throat.

"You're _insane_," he yelled over the weather, stressing the word more this time. Setting his jaw decisively and without another word to her, Wally scooped his arms underneath her body and hoisted her up before she could register it. She yelled out in unadulterated pain, writhing in his arms and stuffing her face into his drenched t-shirt. Her teeth bit into a section of bunched up folds to keep herself from screaming again.

"You… _asshole_," she grinded out at him, teeth still tightly clenched. The woman took one hand off of her wound; for a wild second Wally thought she was going to punch him with her balled up, crimson-stained fist, and recoiled. Instead, she let out a wet groan and placed her palm on his chest, attempting to push herself away from him with no avail. All she left was a bloody handprint. "I can't… put me _down_…"

"No," Wally said, already turning on his heel to slosh out of the alley. He could feel her slippery skin in his hands; she was very cold, likely to suffer from hypothermia on top of her wound if he didn't get her out of the freezing rain soon.

"Put…" she rasped, more softly, her head resting on his chest. Her body was trying to give out, but she wasn't about to surrender without putting up a hell of a fight with him. "Me down. You really… you really… need to put me… down. _Now_."

"Let me guess," Wally said airily, walking with close, quick footsteps across the street and onto the sidewalk. "If I know what's good for me, right?"

The rain was coming down harder than ever; there was no one around by this point, most sane people having taken shelter already. Wally felt relief, because he had wondered what sort of scrutinization he would come under toting a severely bleeding, incredibly naked woman in his arms.

Her fingers curled against his chest, a huff of warm breath heating his sopping skin.

"Something like that."

Wally rolled his eyes; unbelievable.

"Who _are _you?" Wally demanded, irritated by the audacity of the woman in his arms. Which seemed entirely unfair, what with her bleeding all over him, but she had seemed so intent on letting herself perish in the streets that it was getting under his skin. The idea that any human being could think that was the best option for herself was abhorrent to him.

She let out a noise, like she thought the demand was ludicrous. Wally spared her a glance just in time to see her lids drift close, her energy spent. He could tell she was still awake by her steady breathing and by the fact that he wasn't having to work harder to carry her dead weight. He bit his tongue and plowed through the flood waters, figuring it best to let her rest, as long as she wasn't squirming and fighting him anymore.

Miraculously, they made it to Wally's apartment building nearer to the main part of the city without running across any other pedestrians. In any case, if anyone had seen Wally they had paid him no heed; the thought kind of disturbed him, to say the least.

Wally looked down at her as he entered the apartment complex and started climbing the stairs.

Why had she been shot at? Who was she? And more importantly, he wondered about why she was bare to the world, not for any other reason than sheer terror for her. Had she been… taken advantage of? The idea of it made his blood boil and his skin crawl.

"Just hang on, we're almost there," he assured her softly, his sneakers squishing into the carpet. Both of them were leaving a wet trail everywhere they went. They were soaked to the marrow, the two of them the equivalent of a miniature rain cloud swooping down the corridors.

"Mmm…" she answered with a hum, not moving.

Wally fished his keys out and with quite a lot of difficulty managed to get the door open, shut it, and lock it, all without dropping her. He would have to pat himself on the back later for that one, but right now he needed to get her comfortable and search for his first aid supplies. He dropped his keys in the floor somewhere carelessly and softly patted her face with the pruned pads of his fingers.

"You still with me?"

"Unfortunately," she rasped, opening her eyes.

"Speak for yourself," he objected, taking her to the couch. He bent at the knees, low enough that he could re-position a few of the pillows before he lowered her methodically onto the beige cushions.

The jostling pulled a pathetic whimper out of her, followed by the tightest jaw clench he'd ever witnessed. It was a wonder she didn't break her teeth doing that.

The scientist lifted up, taking just a moment to appreciate how much of a mess they both looked. His soaked shirt was stained red, and overall the water was just making the whole situation that much worse. Not only was it getting _everywhere _because of mixing with the thinner liquid, but it was bound to cause the woman to get an infection if he didn't act fast. He pushed his damp sleeves up and felt like he was preparing for a very complicated surgery.

He hoped not, he only knew how to do so much.

"I'm going to find my first aid supplies, just rest but stay awake, okay?," he said urgently, almost walking away before he remembered two things. One, that she was shivering very noticeably, and two, that she was very naked. He veered off into his bedroom with purpose, where he spent a few minutes digging through his closet for a spare blanket. "Here, we don't want you getting hypothermia," he reasoned, draping the thick material over her body.

"Smells," she murmured, though pressed her nose into it, eyes closed.

"Sorry, that's the best I have," Wally replied. He made sure she was alright for the time being, then went on a trek throughout his little apartment, trying to locate the giant, insanely awesome first aid kit his mother had given him years ago when he left home.

He'd never had much use for it, though he'd taken a few bandaids and maybe some burn ointment packets out on occasion. It was that thought that made him remember it was stashed away in his home lab room.

Duh. The most likely place a Wally West would be to sustain injury. Wally didn't remember ever moving it there, but he suspected Dick had transferred it there at some point. The man sure had a lot of concerns about Wally's lab, but the redhead knew perfectly well how to be safe and responsible with science.

Most of the time.

"Aha!" Wally whispered triumphantly to himself after fishing the container out of the bottom shelf of his white storage cabinet. It had been shoved inside without much finesse, cramping up several beakers that Wally gave up looking for ages ago. He slammed the door shut, green eyes sweeping briefly over the once guest-bedroom, with it's mattress haphazardly shoved into the corner.

Then he was gone, determined to get back to the woman that needed his help.

On his way, Wally grabbed a few towels from the bathroom, and a chair from his kitchen table. He placed it right in front of the couch where she was still trying to keep herself warm, and tried not to notice the blood seeping into the blanket. It spread outward slowly like a virus that would soon overcome the cotton fibers, increasing his sense of urgency tenfold. He was about to ask her if she was alright when she let her head loll over tiredly in his direction.

"Bout time," the woman mumbled.

Wally sat down in the chair. Her teeth chattered.

"You're still cold," he said rather obviously. It was but a few moments for him to grab a portable heater from his bedroom closet. He knew it wouldn't help all that much, but it was the best he could do other than trying to dry her skin off for her. Which made him a little uncomfortable, if he was being honest with himself.

"Here," he said a little loudly, holding up a towel. She just looked at it, eyes unfocusing for a moment. Wally deflated with a sigh, realizing this was a life or death situation, and therefore no time at all to be acting like such a… _boy_ about a naked woman. "I'm, uh, going to dry you off, okay? You're wet. With, uh, you know, rain. You won't get warm if we don't dry your skin."

Yes, that was nice and detached and mature.

"...mhmm…," the woman answered in a weary voice.

He felt bad for her. It was almost cruel irony how much Wally had been angry with his day, when this woman had clearly had the shittiest one he could imagine. Frowning, he reached out and tucked some very damp blonde hair away from her face, causing her brow to twitch with displeasure.

"Keep… your distance," she warned him, cracking one eye open to glare menacingly; he hadn't been able to tell out in the night and rain, but her eyes were a very dark shade of gray, almost black.

They were disconcertingly piercing, even with her body going through so much stress.

Wally looked away from her. He cleared his throat and tugged the blanket off of her body. He held the towel up in one hand, uncertainly hovering it near her face until she begrudgingly nodded at him in irritated consent. He wiped gently at her dripping face, pulling her blonde mane into a bundle so that he could squeeze the water out into the towel. There was a lot of dried blood caked into the strands that had rested along her abdomen and it made him grimace.

He pretty much let his mind go blank from there, trying not to focus on anything about _her_, but rather the towel in his hand. In no time he had her as dry as he could get her, all except for the bloody place where her hand still rested as if she were afraid her guts would spill out.

The wound was up higher than he had at first noticed, very close to her ribs.

"I need you to move your hand for me," Wally told her after discarding the towel. He started to grab her wrist to move it away, but remembered the way she had acted when he shifted her hair aside and thought better of it. The blonde gave him a look, pressing her bloodied fingers together and tentatively pulling them away.

It was hard for him to make out anything other than a lot of blood at first, but he could tell it was definitely serious. He gently dabbed around the edges of it with the other towel, removing the gruesome rivulets of rain water mixed with blood from her skin. Once it was a little cleaner, the clearer view caused him to suck in a sharp breath between his teeth.

It looked as if someone had taken an ice cream scooper and scooped the flesh away like it was soft serve.

To top that off, the ragged skin surrounding the area looked like it had been burned. He had never seen a wound of this magnitude before, but something about it struck him as odd, like it wasn't something you might normally see on your average day in the emergency room. The burned skin melded into what looked a whole lot like a rash; little red dots peppered the area, making it look quite irritated.

The woman looked down at it, seemingly intrigued.

"Hmm… s'not so bad," she said lightly, looking like she was about to touch it. Wally shot his hand out, grabbing her wrist before she could prod it unnecessarily.

"_Not that bad_?" he sputtered, ignoring the flare of her nostrils at his contact. He was starting to wonder if she was hallucinating at this point, because there was no way in hell they were looking at the same thing here. No sane person would gaze at a good two inches of flesh scooped out and declare it _not that bad_. "It looks like you're having an allergic reaction to the… bullet or something! Which thankfully just skimmed you as far as I can tell."

She laughed.

"Nothing about this is funny!" Wally insisted hotly. Who _was _this woman!?

"It is from where I'm sitting," she remarked, baring her teeth at him. He supposed it was meant to be something of a smile, but it was bogged down by pain. Her teeth were very straight and very white, making him wonder absently if she had ever had braces before; there was no way she was born with that perfect of teeth.

She also had this weird second set of canine teeth. Like, there was her normal one, then a longer, sharper looking one sat next to that one where a perfectly blunt tooth should have been normally. At least, that's what it looked like in the second he was able to observe before she let her plump lips fall back over them, amusement gone.

Wally wrinkled his nose, trying to focus back on the task at hand.

"Whatever," he groused at her. "You can cover yourself back up now, by the way. I just need this spot free." He gestured at her so called 'not that bad' problem with a finger.

"I'll get right on that," she snapped, reaching with little effort for the blanket bunched up at her feet. Wally rolled his eyes, handing it to her. She pulled it back up to her chin, while he pushed the material out of the way of her side, creating a perfect frame of the wound for him to work in.

The heater hummed steadily next to them, warming the room and drying out Wally's soaked clothes. He hadn't noticed how cold _he _was until he was watching her get cozy again on his couch; the ginger hairs on his arms were standing on end, overtaken with goose bumps.

"You should… have left me in the rain," the woman said bluntly. Wally ignored her, opening up his first aid kit and marveling at all the useful things that were hidden within it. He'd never noticed before. "You're a moron."

"The moron saving your life."

She clucked her tongue in disapproval, turning her head away. The redhead rolled his eyes skyward.

Wally searched around in the kit for the supplies he figured he'd need. He wasn't an expert on taking care of this kind of injury, but he knew how to clean cuts, and he knew how to treat burns. The best he could do was mash the two techniques together and hope he could provide her with the relief she needed.

He took a cloth and some alcohol from the kit, contemplating the opening with furrowed brows. It looked too far apart for him to stitch it, not to mention he had never sewn anything up before and wasn't keen on trying it anyway, so that was probably for the best. His emerald eyes darted up to her face, which was now turned upward, squinted gray eyes focusing on the ceiling. If she was intending to burn a hole through it and escape, she'd be laying there for a while.

"This is going to hurt," he warned her. She shrugged carelessly.

Sighing, Wally held the cloth beneath the wound and tipped the bottle above it, slowly letting the liquid pour over it. The woman hissed, her fingers digging into the back of the couch in an attempt to ground herself.

"Sorry," he said quietly when that part was finished several tense minutes later. Her nostrils were flaring, and she didn't grace him with a response. Her silence was driving him up the walls, but he finished his job at any rate, carefully using another of the towels he'd brought into the room to dab gently at the burned, irritated areas of her skin around the site. He made her sit up, letting the covers fall from her chest so that he could wrap her up.

Now that a lot of his adrenaline had faded, it was like his stupid brain wanted him to do nothing _but _notice how naked she was, or how smooth and soft her skin felt beneath the pads of his fingers. It made him keep clearing his throat every time his eyes would drift toward her breasts much against his will (seriously he wasn't _trying _to be a creeper).

He just hadn't really expected his day to end like this.

Apparently, she noticed his straying gaze and throat clearing.

"Do you have a hairball or something?" she demanded, still holding the soft gauze in place while he fixed the tape to keep it there. Wally felt heat creep up his neck.

"What? No, I'm just thirsty."

Smoooooooooth.

"So go get some water," she huffed, pulling the covers back up to her chin as soon as he retracted his fingers. She settled back down against the cushions, snuggling in like she had taken the place over. He had a feeling though, that had she been in better health after his aid, she would have knocked him out cold and been far, far away from his house before he could do anything about it.

It was clear her body was too desperate for rest for her to attempt such a feat.

"Right. I'll bring you something to ease the pain while I'm at it."

"Mm."

Wally got two cups, filling them with water from his refrigerator. He almost wound up overfilling one of them because he couldn't stop thinking about the woman. He still had so many questions for her, now that she was in a more stable condition. He wanted to know who she was, and why she had been shot at, and why she hadn't wanted him to call the ambulance.

Somehow he knew she wouldn't take kindly to any of those intrusive questions, so he stopped thinking up scenarios in which to ask and just grabbed some pain pills before returning to her.

She gulped the water down greedily even after she'd swallowed the meds. Wally smirked into his cup, taking only a sip before surrendering it to her. That glass disappeared as well.

Wally rubbed at the back of his neck.

_Now what?_

He wasn't exactly comfortable with letting this strange and stubborn woman sleep on his couch while he was off in his bedroom. He hated to be so paranoid, but this was Gotham; what if he awoke to all of his stuff stolen, or what if he didn't wake up at all because she'd decided to murder him?

She was already falling asleep though. Wally watched her for a bit, then with a tired sigh, sank back down on the chair he'd been using. He leaned back in it, letting the back of it rest against his coffee table, kicking his feet up on the couch near her covered thigh.

The downpour continued outside, pounding on his windows, and the heater made his skin warm, and her soft breathing started to lull him to sleep.

"Art… emis…"

Wally's eyes opened. He tilted his head at her, confused.

"What?"

"Mmm… Artemis," she clarified, her voice slurred with sleep. "S'm name…"

"Artemis…" Wally repeated quietly, letting it roll of his tongue.

"Mm."

She trailed off into deep snores.

The redhead smiled to himself.

_Artemis_.


	2. Morning

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters**

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I've been a tad busy and also frankly a little lazy with editing this one.**

**Hopefully the next one will be on Friday like it's supposed to be.**

**Anyway, please enjoy this next installment and let me know what you think!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter length: 3,396 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The sun had returned to Gotham City.

It was as if the streets had never been flooded with gallons of water the previous day. The sidewalks were back to the normal level of hustle and bustle, pedestrians hurrying to their jobs. The warmth cast down from the giant fiery orb was sadly lost upon most of them, so quick were they to make deadlines or get indoors before the daytime criminals started to rear their ugly heads.

One person, however, was reaping the full benefits of Mother Nature's apology for last night's tantrum.

Wally West woke up to the sound of birds chirping right outside of his apartment window, which was a very welcome change from the sharp tap of cold rain drops beating against it. His lids fluttered a bit at the pleasant song, but he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes yet, not when he was feeling so comfortable.

With a morning grunt, Wally rolled himself over into a wide shaft of sunlight that washed over a good portion of his body; it soaked into his bones, warming him from the inside out and making him feel like a fat, lazy feline. He hummed satisfyingly into the carpet that brushed along his chin and lips, tilting his head to rub his cheek against the material.

_Never noticed how soft this carpet is, _he thought sleepily. _So much better than trying to sleep in that chair..._

Last night he had given up trying to rest with his back curled uncomfortably in the chair he had sat in to tend Artemis, and had instead slid off into the floor at some point. There he had almost instantaneously fallen into a deep sleep after the day's tiring events.

The memory of said events reminded him rather suddenly of the patient that was under his care right now. She would probably still be sleeping away on his couch, and would most likely awaken with her pain returning from the meds wearing off. There was also a chance she could have very well picked up a fever during the night and sweated them out, but all was quiet in his apartment; no grunts or laboured breaths of discomfort were issueing from the sofa, so that was good.

Thinking of Artemis and what she had been through, though, made him frown against the rug.

_I definitely need to check on her... _he told himself lethargically, but his body protested any idea of moving, even to pry his lids open. The sun was just too damn invited, and how often did it shine this magnificently in Gotham anyway? Wally could just about count the number of times on one hand alone.

But he really, _really _wanted to check on Artemis.

Letting out a loud over-the-top yawn, Wally rolled himself over onto his back and out of the magnificently yellow rays of the sun. A smile curved up his lips at the lingering heat on his skin, hoping against hope that it would stay that way for at least the day.

Wally sat up, finally opening his emerald eyes and blinking rapidly so they would adjust to the bright morning filtering into the room. He rubbed at them with his fists, breathing deeply in through his nose.

"Aaaah!" Wally yawned again, scratching at his sunbaked hair. "Good morning my incredibly stubborn and insane shot vict—"

He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. The couch that Artemis had been taking her rest on was vacant. In fact, the only things left there that told of her presence was a very unsightly blood stain, and his equally bloody blanket bunched up at the foot of the couch.

If Wally's brain had not been fully awake before, it was now as it kicked into high overdrive panic mode. He scrambled to his feet so fast he nearly stumbled.

"Artemis?" he called, taking in the immediate area. She was no where to be found. How in the world could someone with a gaping flesh wound be up and about within a few hours like it was no big deal? Assuming she hadn't just left him in the middle of the night. Had she not been in such bad shape, Wally would have found that excuse highly plausible, all things about her stubborn personality considered.

Wally checked the kitchen, he checked the guest bedroom, and he was just about to poke his head out into the hall when he heard a sound emanate from his bedroom.

"Artemis?" he whispered to himself, slowly moving back across apartment toward his room. "Or a burglar? That's always a valid possibility in Gotham."

Cautiously, he padded to his shut bedroom door, laying his hand upon the polished metal knob. Like he was about to take a plunge into unknown waters, he inhaled deeply before twisting the object and pushing it inward with his shoulder. The portal swung open, letting the stale air waft out of his room, along with a smell he recognized as his shampoo.

There was a light coming from his bathroom. And steam.

And there was Artemis, the unstable blonde woman, just rifling away through his drawers without a care in the world. Like she hadn't been shot last night and shouldn't still be in excruciating pain.

Oh, and she was naked. Of _course_.

"What are you doing!?" Wally squeaked, looking at the floor around her. There were socks, underwear, and jesus fuck, she had thrown some of his _condoms _into the floor and he was about to have a freaking heart attack. "What!?" he yelled again, not even sure why.

The normal reaction for being caught ass naked would have been to scream loudly and make a vague attempt at shielding your body from whoever had intruded. Wally was quickly learning that there was absolutely nothing on the realm of normal about this Artemis woman, because she turned around to face him fully with the utmost calm, jutting her hip to the side while she rested her palms against them.

"Don't you have anything to _wear_," she asked irritatedly. Her voice was surprisingly husky; he had assumed last night that it was due to her physical condition, but she seemed far better now and that pleasant husky lilt still issued from her throat.

Wally sputtered incoherently. What in the world was he supposed to say in a situation like this? In all his years he could honestly say he'd never had to deal with a strange woman he barely knew walking around his place completely naked. Wally had seen a few naked women in his time, yet he had known them to some degree more than he knew Artemis.

And still for some unknown reason her nudity made crimson heat creep up his face and neck horribly.

Maybe he had seen her naked last night, but that had been a life and death situation; that was different!

Who _was _this woman!?

Artemis had the gall to look at _him _like he was the crazy one.

"Hey, fire head! I'm talking to you," she insisted, snapping her fingers like he was in a trance.

He kind of was. He was _very _distracted by her. This woman that was standing across from him with her jaw set and her hips cocked sassily to one side, staring him down challengingly like she thought he would fight her. This woman that should still be bedridden on his couch right now, and not standing there letting water drip sensually along her curves until it found rest in his carpet.

It was clear to him that she had made herself at home. She obviously had no qualms about utilizing a stranger's shower without asking for permission, and was bold enough to search it out by herself, too. So now there she was, with her skin still damp and shining, her clean golden hair hanging over her shoulder to conceal one breast from view. He hadn't been able to fully appreciate it's length last night; it fell to just above her backside. It looked long enough to do some damage to someone if she wanted it to. And she probably had before.

Her hair didn't look like the only thing she could use to her advantage. Wally found himself absolutely stunned by how well built she was. Her biceps, legs, thighs, calves— they were all so strong and corded looking that he could barely believe she was real. She looked like the kind of woman that had a very strict workout regimen, and could easily break some bones if anyone got on her bad side. Once again he imagined she probably had before.

_Better hope you stay on her positive side, then_, he thought to himself, eyes lingering on her abdomen.

The abs there were defined as well, but that wasn't what captured his attention; his green eyes had alighted immediately on her injury, searching it from his distance. She had already taped it back over in a very messy attempt at the way he had fixed it the night before. He wasn't confident she had cleaned it and applied the correct medical supplies to it, judging by it's hasty looking appearance. Somehow he knew better than to mention that to her.

"Uh..." he mumbled, still mesmerized by her stature. She smirked at him, swinging her hip over to the other side with a clearing of her throat.

How had he not noticed how beautiful she was before?

_Maybe because before you she was kind of dying and you weren't gawking at her like a creep?_

Wally flinched at the thought. He whirled on his heels, looking in the opposite direction in a late attempt at some of the modesty his mother had been sure to pound into his skull.

He cleared his throat very loudly.

"Look, _Artemis_," he started, rubbing at the back of his neck. He hoped she was listening, as he was currently talking to his bedroom wall. "I'll get you some clothes if you'll stop throwing my personal shit _everywhere_. And then can we sit down and maybe talk about why someone shot you and how you're running around like it never happened?"

There was a silence, like she was thinking about his offer.

"Yes to the clothes. None of your business to the shot," she told him firmly. Wally winced at the answer, wishing he hadn't even tried. "Look, uh… _Wally_, right?"

He came a hair of asking her how she knew his name; he didn't remember ever offering it up to her last night. But then it hit him that she had probably been snooping quite unabashedly around his digs, and must have seen some of his science plaques or his degree.

"Uh, yeah. The one and only."

"I really appreciate what you did for me. It was incredibly _stupid _of you, but… I guess I sort of… owe you my life," she sighed out. He got the feeling that admitting he had helped her out was admitting a terrible weakness for her. That bothered him. "But I'm not hanging around for breakfast with you, alright? The fact is, I don't even know you, and you don't _want _to know me. And I've got some… _friends_," she spat out the word like it was ash on her tongue, "that I have to get back to before they miss me."

Wally had to ask. He _had _to.

"And are these... _friends_, the ones who got you shot?"

"No."

Wally exhaled through his nose, then crossed his arms, glaring at the paint on his bedroom wall.

"I _really _think you need to stay at least another night. I can't believe you're even up and walking, that's impossible."

"I'm a fast healer," she said. "Now, about those clothes?" Her tone gave him no room for any other questions.

"You know, you're really something, just snooping around my place and clogging up my shower drain with your fancy hair," he groused out at her. "Do you know how expensive Drano is?"

"And you're an awful nosy redhead that thinks he's entitled to asking me personal questions just because you carried me out of the rain I told you I'd rather be left in," she reposted right back. Damn, she was good at that, it seemed. "Clothes, Wally. I already thanked you, I'm not feeding you my life story!"

"Yeah, well! Ugh. Fine, whatever," he groaned, throwing his hands up into the air. As much as he hated to admit it, she really had him on the whole privacy thing. Of course, he personally felt he deserved to at least know how the hell she was okay right now, but it was pretty obvious Artemis wasn't apt to sharing. "So you know, if you could just, maybe, step back into the bathroom so I can—"

"You've already seen me naked, I don't know why you're acting like it's completely intolerable," she huffed out.

"It's not!" he shouted, before catching himself. "I-I mean, _you're _not intolerable I just... Oh, Einstein, I just want you to not be naked anymore because it's really awkward," he finished lamely. Her laugh met his ears.

"I'm _trying _to not be naked, hu- Wally. So how about you just tell me where I can find a shirt and some pants and that'll solve your little problem?"

"_My little problem_?" Wally sputtered out, still in deep conversation with his bedroom wall. "Are you insinuating that I have a—"

"_Clothes!" _she snarled.

"Shirts are in the very bottom drawer," Wally said quickly. "Uuuh, all of my pants are dirty so maybe you can—"

He was cut off by the sound of something making a soft thumping noise against the floor. Despite himself he turned, only to be met with her rifling through the pile of dirty clothes she had deposited on the ground. Wally felt his mouth drop open in horror, especially when he watched her toss the empty clothes hamper aside and pick up a pair of his dirty underwear, discarding it halfway across the room with utmost casualness.

_"What are you doing!?" _he yelped for the second time. She was going to land him in the hospital with a severe case of heart failure, he just knew it.

"Looking for something that doesn't look like it's had food or… chemicals spilled all over it," Artemis answered, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she lifted up the third pair of wrinkled denim that had a dried up substance all over it. The next pair clearly yielded results more to her satisfaction. "Ah, these'll do."

She pulled them on. Just like that. No finesse, no underwear. Totally fucking commando.

Artemis was _insane _and that was all there was to it.

Maybe her injury had snapped her sanity.

"Oh my god..." he choked out, watching the pants sag down baggily around her wide hips. The blonde bent to open his shirt drawer. Her lips upturned in contemplation.

"I would prefer a hoodie, if you have one," she said conversationally, as one might talk about the weather. Wally's brain had short circuited, but he managed to get his limbs working, moving over to his closet to pull his old magenta Stanford hoodie with the giant bleach stain. He handed it to her, watched her pull it over her head.

Artemis flipped her wet blonde hair out of it, eyeing her get-up with approval.

"Yeah, this works."

"Does it?" Wally coughed uncertainly. His pants looked like they would fall off of her at any moment. He was starting to fear the pants he had on _would _get tight if she didn't stop being a _hot blonde in his clothes. _

"Yep," she said, walking away. "Thanks, I'll be on my way now."

"What! Just like that?" the scientist cried, following her out of the room. He shouldn't be so surprised by how quickly she was trying to get out of his place, considering. She had made it perfectly clear to him, several times over, that she had just wanted to be left to die in the rain, that she hadn't wanted his help. The thoughts boiled and frothed inside of him as questions he had definitely wanted to ask her, but she was just as unkeen to let him ask them as she had been to let him carry her through the rain.

"Just like that," she responded coolly, already pulling his front door open. "I was honestly hoping you'd stay asleep until I was gone."

"Wait!"

To his surprise, she actually did. Her brow cocked at him.

"What, fire head?"

"I... you can't just... I mean... You have to come back!" Wally told her loudly. "You can't just take my clothes and leave! And, I want to make sure you make a good recovery!"

"I'm sure you'll live without them. And I'm still alive right now so that's probably pretty conclusive."

"Artemis, _please_?" he begged. He surprised himself as well as her, if her widening eyes were any indication. "Please? I just... I need to know. I can't just hope that you did, I need to know for myself. I was pretty _freaked out _last night. For you, I mean," he admitted, feeling foolish. He rubbed at the back of his neck, gaze averted to the floor. "I mean, there was so much blood and I wasn't even sure I could do anything for you. I've never had someone's life in my hands like that, okay?"

Silence.

Wally looked up, only to find her eyes on the ground in quiet contemplation. Her eyes flicked over to the couch, as if she could see through the back of it to the blood, _her _blood still dried there in a gruesome stain. Lastly, she looked at him.

He had no clue what she saw in his expression, all he knew was that he was feeling a whole lot of strange agitation and desperation for a person he barely even knew; he wanted nothing more than for her to stay, so he could know that he had done some good and not be left in the dark to second-guess his own abilities. He was desperate for her to at least be okay.

It seemed that she could discern something of his feelings flickering across his irises, because whatever she had been searching for in his features had clearly been found.

"...fine," the blonde sighed out, her grey eyes piercing his own. "I'll come back to let you know— to _prove _to you that I'm completely fine. I guess it's the least I could do for... everything."

Wally smiled at her, unsure of what else to say. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders at her words. It was hard for him to say whether Artemis was more annoyed or more grateful for what he had done for her, but regardless of her feelings on the matter, regardless of her disturbing, careless requests that she should've been left where he found her, Wally felt a sense of satisfaction in his actions.

It always felt good to him, to do something he knew deep in his gut was the right thing to do.

Saving this stubborn and strange woman was, without a doubt in his mind, one of the most right decisions he'd ever made.

Said woman was done with his presence, though.

"Good-bye," she said simply, wrinkling her nose curiously at him for but a moment before walking out and shutting the door behind her.

Wally stood there, wondering if the woman would _actually _keep her word.

As much as he liked to believe she would, as much as it would make him happy to see her alive and well at least one time, the logical part of his brain jumped in to point out that her demeanor suggested he would most likely never see her again.

He sighed, rubbing at his face, then went to find something to try and scrub his couch down with.


	3. Confrontation

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**ARTEMIS POV TIME! **

**Some pretty interesting stuff in this chapter, methinks. I'm kinda proud of this one, I rather like the conversations and hope you guys like it too!**

**I'm sure if you haven't already guessed what's up with Arty in previous chapters, you'll definitely know in this one, haha. **

**I really, really appreciate reviews, they keep me motivated to edit my chapters each week and get them up on time! Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 5,585 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The faster Artemis Lian Crock got the maximum amount of distance possible between herself and Wally West's apartment complex, the better off everyone within that distance would be.

She flew down the steps, out of breath, taking them two, three, four at a time, ignoring the feel of her damp skin scratching against his baggy clothes. Four flights, five flights, her breasts bouncing freely beneath the massively oversized Stanford sweatshirt that, if she was being real here, he was probably never going to see again.

Finally, the blonde reached the last set of stairs. At that moment the pants that she had painstakingly rolled up at the ankles before starting her mad dash down the levels decided to unfurl, catching her feet and causing her to be flung bodily down the last five steps. Artemis yelped out in surprise, barely catching herself at an angle that stopped her from snapping one of her ankles like a twig.

She caught herself against the far wall, staggering painfully. Her vision swam.

"Son of a _bitch_," Artemis hissed, her free hand moving up to clutch desperately at her stinging wound. Pinpricks of tears clung to the corners of her eyes as she rested her weight on the wall.

She had been putting on one hell of a show for the freckled man, making it seem like she was feeling one hundred percent better. It wasn't in her nature to show signs of physical weakness, because where she came from that sort of thing would get you slaughtered real quick. Acting as if the wound had healed had also been a means of escaping the redhead without having to endure his fussing and fighting with her over it, and still it had barely worked.

Not that she couldn't have used force to get herself out, but she felt she had owed him a civil departure at the very least; knocking him out cold to escape hadn't been a plan she'd enjoyed contemplating, if only for the strain it would've put on her.

She had spent most of her night waking in writhing pain, tossing and turning all over his lumpy couch like that would dull the ache. She hadn't even meant to let herself rest in his home like that. It made her blood seethe for lowering her guard; what a big mistake to make, allowing her body to succumb to sleep in the house of a stranger she barely knew.

Wally could have done anything to her at any time of the night, but a more logical part of her had argued back that Wally had risked himself saving her, so why would he try to hurt her?

It didn't even matter. Her plan had been to escape while he was asleep, but her body had betrayed her in the end, and she could have reaped the penalty for it had he been someone less honest.

Or someone that knew too much.

Panting, Artemis shifted along the wall, resting her shoulder against it as she lifted the sweatshirt up high enough to observe her gauze. New blood was soaking into it. She cursed again at the deep crimson hue.

She had _tried _to be careful when she had commandeered his shower. The soap, however, had inevitably rolled down her abdomen and straight into the scooped out area of flesh. It had taken everything in her power not to scream out like a dying animal; and believe her, she knew what _that _was like. Instead she had settled for biting into her lip so hard it had bled, pounding her palm repeatedly against the shower tiles until it subsided.

Artemis would _like _to blame the soap and her shoddy re-patching job on the fresh bleeding and pain, but in reality she knew it was because of the silver. That godforsaken element that could bite into her skin like nothing else, punching through it more effectively than any bullet, and spreading fire like cobra venom through her body in a matter of seconds. The rash surrounding it had spread quite extensively over the course of the night, and even now she could see it advancing out from the edges of the grazed area, creeping up her skin.

It was a lucky thing that the bullet had not pierced directly into her body and lodged itself there. If it had, no amount of ambulances or ridiculously nice redheaded men would have been able to save her. Not even the removal of the bullet would have reversed the poison that would have penetrated directly into her vital organs and snuffed out her life in moments.

As it was, even just a grazing like the one she sustained would have taken her out if she had been left there for much longer.

A thought which brought her to a very important question: in what kind of fucked up world did lanky, freckled redheaded men run _toward _the sound of gunshots, rather than away from them? Especially in Gotham City, where crime was so bad that people had simply learned to ignore it, to pretend there was no tragedy until it was a loved one being shown carried in a coffin on the news.

Clearly, he was an idiot looking for a death sentence and there was little else to it.

Artemis, still hunched and breathing deeply to try and steady her pounding, pulsing injury, looked down at the large block letters glaring brightly at her from the hoodie. She snorted violently, tugging it back down over her stomach.

He went to _Stanford _for Fenrir's sake; wasn't he supposed to be smarter than that?

Wally should never have wasted his time on the likes of her. It wasn't that she had no gratitude for what he had done for her, the risk he had put himself in to make sure she got some sort of treatment despite her protests. She _was_; a lot more than she cared to admit.

The _problem _was that someone as nice and normal as Wallace Rudolph West should never get involved with someone like her. Him and his stupid, peppery freckles, sticking himself right in the line of danger for some naked woman he had found bleeding out in the dirty water. One look at his apartment, (and _oh_, she'd looked) had told her very quickly that "Wally West: Recipient of the Stanford Science Award" wouldn't last even one second stepping into the world _she _knew.

Which was why getting back to her… _family _before they really missed her would be doing them both one hell of a favor. She didn't want the admittedly attractive geek getting an unwarranted visit in the middle of the night, one that could end in his life being taken from him just for making contact with her long enough to save her life.

The sound of heavy footfalls on the steps pulled Artemis out of her wavering thoughts, filling her with the urgency she needed to get herself moving. Swallowing her pain down, she shouldered her way out the main door and onto the baking sidewalks of Gotham, where the sun was evaporating the last evidences of the storm and filling the air with muggy heat.

Artemis did her best to blend in with the throngs of Gothamites trying to get to their jobs, but the city was the world's worst for staring openly at things it deemed out of the norm. Apparently blonde women dressed in incredibly baggy clothes with no shoes on was considered way more stare worthy than a criminal running along the opposite sidewalk carrying a bag of money and a gun.

Which is exactly what happened at one point. It was enough to make Artemis mentally face palm, and wonder how in the world the slums could be considered any more criminally bloated than any other part of the city.

Or at least, she wondered that before she remembered her family lived there.

_Oh yeah_, she thought bitterly. _That's why. _

Artemis was every bit as guilty for the slums reputation as the rest, much as it hurt her heart to admit. But where she came from, _that _was how you survived; you did what you had to do, even if it meant hurting someone else, even if it meant defying every kind of authority that stepped into your life. She wasn't proud of it, and she'd do anything to get away.

But she was cursed, so that's where she'd stay.

The most she could do, the most she _had _been doing for the past six months, was to try and fight back for the people she had once helped intimidate with fear.

It was a start, at least.

By this point, Artemis had reached the invisible divide between Bibbo's Diner and the slums. She came to an abrupt halt when she noticed a ruckus across the street, one that involved police tape, blue uniforms, and a crowd of people that she knew was far more concerned with the gruesome details than the loss of life.

Her blood ran cold.

Her feet carried her over to the scene of the crime before she could stop them. Numbly, she pushed her way through the crowd until she could see the grisly scene. A body that had yet to be hidden from the public eye, covered in all manner of slashes, bruises, and bite marks from head to toe, clothes ripped open by them.

Like a mauling.

Artemis could smell the blood and death from where she was feet away, just as clearly as if she were standing inches from it. There were other familiar smells there, ones that made her nostrils flare; she knew those smells, knew exactly who they belonged to and thusly who had ended this man's life.

In an instant, she knew far more than the cops would ever hope to know.

Artemis's steel eyes flicked to the buildings surrounding the crime scene, her muscles tense. She half expected to see them perched on one of the roofs, catching her eye and grinning like they'd left her a present on her front porch. But there was nothing and no one, and even as she felt relief at their absence she had known that the scents were faint.

This was done hours ago.

"They're saying he committed suicide. Jumped right off the top of a building."

"That's a lie, he looks mangled!"

"Wild dogs lose in Gotham? That's the last thing we need; mongrels trained for blood."

"Come on, we all know what's _really _behind this. The law around here just wants to shut it all up."

"Tt! I know what _you're _getting at, sir, and there's no such thing!"

"The evidence is right across the yellow tape. Keep lying to yourself, bud, but I've lost a buddy in the slums before. He knew too much, and he ended up just like this poor sap."

Artemis wished she could close her ears off to the gossip surrounding her. She wanted to snap at them all to shut up, shut up before they got heard by the wrong people.

_I've got to get away from here._

The blonde let her eyes rove over the scene one last time, snapping up to the three blue-uniformed cops milling around the body, talking in hushed whispers. One of them was a tall, broad shouldered man who had his head tilted so close to his redheaded companion that his dark ebony bangs brushed her forehead. Artemis watched them, wondering what they could be saying, what conclusions they could be drawing.

_Probably not even _close _to what actually happened_.

It was like the dark-haired cop could sense her thoughts, and next thing she knew her eyes were being met by icy blue ones. Blue ones that lingered in her direction, widening slightly.

Artemis held the gaze for a moment, then turned and left, dodging her way back out of the onlookers.

She walked quickly, but slowly enough that she wouldn't appear too suspicious. Every hammer of her heart sent painful pulsing into her wound; she could envision it as fuel that encouraged her rash to spread further with each thump.

She purposefully avoided peering into the alleyway where Wally had found her crashing drunkenly into the trash cans. It was a miracle that she was walking right on through to the slums, feet slapping against the concrete from the purpose in her steps. She had half been expecting that blue eyed cop came chasing after her, demanding her to stop for looking so very odd and nosy.

Or for marching into the slums like she owned the place.

Luckily, he didn't, and Artemis was far beyond the crowds before she sensed that she wasn't alone.

The scents assailed her nostrils, providing her with an early warning system. Knowing that they would chase her until they could get a hold of her somewhere privately, the blonde grit her teeth, sighing and altering her course toward a disused convenient store. She lifted one of the wooden boards up, crawling her way in before letting it slam back into place. She huffed in annoyance, putting on the best 'I'm-not-about-to-cry-from-fucking-excruciating-pain' look she could muster.

And not a moment too soon.

There was a loud crash from the old loft above. Pounding steps that sounded like a herd of wild buffalo had suddenly migrated it's way into the big city.

And then they were there, vaulting over the stairs guard rail and right into her view.

"So yer alive," Tommy sneered by way of greeting, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

Tommy Terror was built like an ape, with a tiny head and close shaven sun faded blond hair. His tight white shirt looked so small that one careless flex of his arms would cause it to split open right across his chest. She'd seen him crush the life out of people for making fun of his little red suspenders.

The guy and his sister, Tuppence Terror, both had some serious strength superiority issues, constantly challenging other members of the pack to brawls. In fact they spent most of their free nights getting the shit knocked out of themselves (and their opponents) in an old bar that had once been host to illegal fighting competitions.

"He's all aflutter about it," Tuppence supplied with a nasty smirk. She was the spitting image of her brother, every bit as beefy, but with a belly baring white top that stretched dangerously across her large bosom. Her calculating eyes roved over Artemis's attire. "Nice outfit. Mornin' after clothes?"

Artemis's face lightly flushed, but before she could reply scathingly, a pair of long, bony white fingers were digging into her shoulders.

"As if. Arty here is _my _girl. Isn't that right, babe?" Cameron crooned lecherously, his unwanted and incredibly cold breath hitting the side of her neck. The hairs on Artemis's neck prickled unpleasantly. She lashed out, pushing him away from her so hard he stumbled into the old glass behind him with a thud. The twins guffawed at his misfortune while the blonde whirled on him.

"Keep your hands off me," she snarled. She instantly regretted her overreaching move when a hot lick of fire traveled the length of her injury. It felt like her side had ripped open even more, making her eyes water and her teeth clench inside her mouth, but she kept herself as collected on the outside as possible. "If I have to tell you one more time, you're going to regret it. I'm _not _your girl, I'm _never _going to be, so get on with your life!"

He grinned at her like it was all very hilarious, which made Artemis's temper rise. The guy was a complete sleaze, a teenager easily almost ten years younger than her, which made his advances all the more infuriating. His bleached white hair stuck up like it was made out of ice. She swore to everyone who would listen that the little jackass actually used mass amounts of hairspray on it to get it to stay that way; he certainly smelled like it.

"Ya know, we was all just worried sick about you last night. Ain't that right, sister Tuppence?" Tommy said with a frown on his face, giving Cameron a reprieve.

"Absolutely, brother Tommy. I reckon yer _pa _has been gettin' mighty concerned, too," Tuppence said slowly, dark purple lips quirking into one of her pale cheeks. The smile alone was enough to to clue Artemis in; her eyes narrowed. "But don't worry, we been keepin' him _real _good and updated on yer frequent sneakin' out alone the past few months."

Artemis's body stiffened. She had known that sooner or later someone was bound to catch notice of her changing behavioral pattern; before now she had never been prone to sneaking off outside of known pack business. _That _had always been Jade's territory.

Artemis on the other hand had always been a good little soldier, even if she despised the objective, or tried to subtly change the outcome, to find a way out for those humans meant to be killed or harassed. She was still there when she was called upon, it was just in her nature.

It seemed her reputation had grown quite different than her sister's.

"Is that so?" she sneered out loud, her lower jaw jutting defiantly. "Well, I'm not sure why he's so _concerned_, considering I haven't done anything wrong. Or is there a new rule that prevents perfectly capable adults from having any kind of personal affairs outside the pack?"

Cameron laughed obnoxiously.

"Of course there isn't, you're just special," he leered. Artemis wondered if he really did have a jaw made of glass; she'd like to test that theory some day with her knuckles. "Come on, Artemis, don't act so surprised about it. You've always been on daddy's watch list. A major family embarrassment waiting to happen."

If not being a grade A douchebag was considered a Crock family embarrassment, then Artemis couldn't say she had a problem with being considered a blotch on the family name. Which was the only reason Cameron's crooked nose was still in tact right now.

"He just thought you could use a little watchin' is all. Imagine how bad it must look on him, his own kin with a bad reputation as is, deciding to start sneakin' off every single night all sudden like," Tommy said, the picture of apologetically concerned. She could see the underlying glints of amusement at her expense. "It ain't normal, especially not fer you."

Artemis was absolutely livid.

These three idiots were probably about as bottom-of-the-pack as you could possibly get. They spent their days doing the dirty work for everyone else's dirty work, and suddenly they were spying on her for her dear old dad? Her dad finding out about her actions had _always _been as likely as her getting the punishment of her life when he did.

But for him to stoop as low as having these three goons follow her around like she was a delinquent teenager breaking curfew? It was the worst kind of insult.

"You three can stay the hell out of my business," she whispered with malice, fingers curling into her palms.

"No can do, sugar tits," Cameron said, crossing his scrawny arms like he was important. "Not unless the big man tells us not to anymore."

"Ah, you ain't got to be so concerned, we're just keepin' tabs on yer comin' and goin', we ain't been buttin' into yer _actual _business. After all, that ain't what packmates do, is it guys?"

The three of them shared wide smiles of picturesque innocence. The perfect, model citizens of this peaceful little hell.

_Yeah_, Artemis thought, _and the sky isn't blue_. The three of them not having a rather dangerously full scoop of her goings on for the last six months was about as likely as her father descending out of nowhere right now with a bouquet of roses.

No, it'd be wolfsbane and a sliced hide from him.

They grinned at her maliciously. Of _course _they knew. How they had managed to keep upwind of her this entire time was beyond her comprehension; all three of them were a little on the dull side, with the exception of maybe Tuppence and to a lesser extent, Cameron. Combined, though, she supposed they could equal a very intimidating force.

Brawn, brain, and… whatever the hell Cameron provided. _Sleaze_?

Artemis couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if her father hadn't already descended on her with a vengeance for helping humans. He was sure to know because he'd obviously had the three reporting to him. Artemis was still breathing so there was something going on there.

A worry for later, though, because a more unsettling thought had entered her conscious.

The dead man she had seen at the entrance to the slums. It was their work, of course, she'd known that from their scents. But the body had been such a bloody mess it was impossible for her to tell whom had met their grisly end. She needed to know, and she needed to know right then, because if they had murdered the victim she'd been trying to shield from harm, then that made the pain she was suffering through all the more painful.

"You three are pretty bad liars. I saw the body on my way in," Artemis said, keeping her tone level despite her inner concerns. She gestured over her shoulder through the dusty window. "Way to be subtle."

"Pretty good work, huh? _I _was the one that bit his throat," Cameron said with absolute relish, reveling in the act by licking pointedly at his double canines. Artemis wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"See, now _that _was family lookin' out for one another!" Tuppence insisted, hands alighting on her wide hips. "We was waitin' around the slums for you to come back, jus' like we always do, and when you never did we got mighty flustered about it, eh, Tommy?"

"_I _sure did," he nodded, grinning wildly. "So's I suggested we track our good friend Artemis down and find out if somethin' got to her. And it's a damn good thing I did too, considerin' all that blood we found, right guys?"

_Oh no… _Artemis thought, her sense of dread rising in her throat like bile.

"It was pretty hard to pinpoint you in the rain, but blood has a tendency to be pretty… _potent_," Cameron said, pacing his way toward her with his arms held behind his back. The blonde couldn't keep her lip from pulling back at him, her eyes flashing silver in a warning. He laughed, altering his course over to an aisle that had apparently once held candy bars.

"But luckily, or unluckily, whichever _you _prefer, there was a lot of it," Tommy said, eyeing Artemis carefully. It was almost like his probing gaze triggered the pain in her wound to increase. It felt like fire and burning, and her hand itched to come up to it. She settled for crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep them at bay.

"All washing away in the flood, too," the white haired teen called, picking up a dusty old box before tossing it aside without interest as he meandered through the store.

"At first we thought maybe you'd finally come to yer senses and got someone good," Tuppence laughed, tossing aside her bleach blonde ponytail. "Until of course we realized the blood was yers."

Artemis remained quiet, her eyes flicking levelly over each of them.

"Scorned someone's love?" Cameron asked, clutching at his own chest. He purposefully rocked his hip into a degrading shelf as he moved further into the the store, causing it to fall over with a resounding crash that made them all wince and glare his way.

"It was nothing," Artemis insisted, turning her head back to the twins. They exchanged unimpressed glances, but carried on with their tale. Artemis listened on tenterhooks, terrified, afraid that Wally would be brought into this.

Why oh why had that man gotten himself involved with her?

"We did some sniffin' around the area, and sister Tuppence caught on to a human smell on the other side of the street. We decided to split ourselves up, got Cam here to sniff 'round the alley while we did a little huntin," Tommy continued, thumbing at his skinny suspenders. He turned his boxcar jaw toward Cam, who was picking around an ancient cash register like he expected it to be full of money. "Found some interestin' things didn't you, Cam?"

"_Very _interesting."

"Ya see, Artemis, Cam noticed another smell in that there alley. It was a mighty powerful one, mixed in with all that muddy blood water of yores."

Artemis's nostrils flared. _No. No no no no. _

"I was there alone," Artemis said firmly, trying to calm her hammering heart. Her worst fears were about to come alive right in front of her, and she didn't know if there was a damn thing she could do to protect him if this escalated out of control. What if they knew where he lived? She may have barely known the man but she wished no harm on him, not after the misplaced kindness he had reached out to her with.

"M'no Arty, I'm afraid my nose doesn't lie to me. There was another person in that alley with you," Cameron said. He picked the register up and threw it onto the floor with all of his might, shattering it in another piercing echo. He disappeared from view when he crouched down behind the counter, no doubt picking it apart for any signs of left over tender. Fucking idiot.

"An' besides that, there was that umbrella, and that jacket, right Tuppence?"

Artemis could not help it; her eyes widened in horror. The twins noticed, their faces lighting up with glee.

"Yes, sound familiar?" Tuppence said, satisfied with Artemis's fear. "Oh, the umbrella weren't much use, it had too many smells coverin' it. But that jacket, it was the most tellin' of all."

"Had yer blood on it, and the other smell. A _human _smell. Some kind a' chemicals; stung the nostrils somethin' fierce," Tommy said, nodding his head sagely. "Now, ya see, we put two and two together quick like and figured you'd been shot by one of them gangster types that's been buttin' in on our territory of late. That bastard across the street what we chased down, he was one of em. Had a gun on him, tried to take sister Tuppence's head off with it," he growled, crossing his beefy arms. "See, that's when we knew fer sure you'd been shot."

That meant their prey had been the gangster. Good. Somehow she felt relief, even if she didn't condone the disgusting methods the three stooges had employed in taking the asshole down.

That relief was short-lived.

"There, there, brother Tommy, he won't be pointing guns at any more of our kin," Tuppence said soothingly, patting his bicep. Artemis's hackles raised at the implication that she could possibly be related to them by anything more than their shared curse, but she could not locate her voice to protest in vehemence.

"But what we couldn't figure out was why that chemical human smell was lingering all over that alley you'd bled in. What kind of human would be stopping to help an injured werewolf?," Cameron supplied, finally jumping back to his feet. He looked incredibly pissed that his efforts to find cash had been futile; he kicked out at the cash register pieces, scattering them all over the debris covered floor. He turned his gaze to Artemis. "That's what happened, isn't it? You were helped by a human. And judging by that outlandish odor of his, he wasn't even from the _slums_."

Artemis couldn't breathe, both from a combination of pain and the fear at how spot on they were.

"Ain't a human one right minded that lives outside the slums, that would venture here at night with no good reason," Tommy said, narrowing his eyes. "Much less to help a an injured body out."

"Only an outsider that knows too much would snoop around here, wouldn't you agree, Artemis?" Tuppence wheedled.

Well, no point in hiding; they'd obviously done their research and if they'd been following her for so long they knew what kind of sympathy she had for humans.

"He doesn't know _shit_," Artemis spat at them, fists clenching at her sides. What else could she do but try and throw them off of his trail? It wasn't like she wasn't telling them the truth; Wally West didn't know anything about werewolves. He had just been a good guy in the wrong place at the wrong time, with a heart that was too damn big for his own good, and a sense of justice that wouldn't allow him to leave a naked woman to her demise. To him, she had just been a human in need. "He doesn't know shit, do you understand? He was nearby, I guess at that nasty Bibbo's place and he… he must have heard the noise. He heard it and he found me there. That's all there was to it."

"I _do _wonder how ya got a hold of his clothes…" Tuppence mused, eyeing Artemis's get up again. She leaned forward, sniffing pointedly at the material. Goddamnit, there was no way around this kind of evidence; she should have just walked home naked for all the good it would have done. "You know we've all had our share of fun with humans, but I never took it from you."

"It wasn't like that at all. He saw a hurt person in the slums and took care of me, alright? He wouldn't fucking listen when I told him no, so I let him patch me up and left his ass as soon as the first opportunity came along. As far as he knew I was just a stupid prostitute that got on the wrong side of a client and paid for it. End of story."

"Well, it's all a very _interesting _tale, regardless," Tuppence said, elbowing her brother with a smirk on her face.

"That it is, dearest Tuppence, that it is! I'm guessin' yer dear old pa might be interested in the humans returnin' yer sympathies..."

Artemis threw her head back and laughed. A loud, derisive sound that came bursting out of her lungs, leaving an excruciating wave of fresh agony in her abdomen.

"Do you _really _think this is the kind of thing my dad has you watching my every move for?" the blonde asked through a voice thick with amusement. She placed her hand on her side with the pretense of bending forward to chuckle at them; in reality she was putting pressure against the wound in the hope of momentary relief. "Some clueless, stupid human that happened to find me in the wrong place at the wrong time and helped me? You three are even dumber than I thought if you think my dad will give two _shits _about this at all. Hell, the only thing he'll be disappointed about is that the guy didn't let me bleed out."

Artemis believed about half of that. Her dad really _would _be mad she hadn't died in the rain; it would have been one less thorn in his side.

Her semi-bluff had worked exactly the way she wanted it to: it gave them all pause. Uncertain, fearful looks were exchanged between them.

_Hook, line, and sinker, assholes._

"Ah, well… we was just makin' sure you wasn't bein' too friendly with a human or nothin'," Tommy said, shrugging as nonchalantly as possible. He absently fiddled with one of the piercings in his ears, stepping from one foot to the other. "S'not like we was serious 'bout botherin' yer dad. We was just hopin' to freak you out, right sister Tuppence?"

"Mm," Tuppence added, forcing a grin onto her features. "We just wanted to let this serve as a warnin', really. Right boys?"

They both nodded, smirking menacingly at her. Boy, they sure knew how to pull a complete one-eighty. Artemis crossed her arms again.

"Wow, yeah, I am just _quaking _in my bo—" she started, then cut off, looking down at her bare feet. She smiled, wrinkling her nose and lifting one foot to wiggle her dirty toes at them all. "Well, you know."

Tuppence opened her mouth to probably give her a piece of her mind, but just then the sound of a car alarm blared from outside the building, causing all of them to whip attentively toward the noise. Loud voices filtered in from outside.

"Looks like that's our cue to leave," Tuppence told her boys, who turned up the steps without needing any second prompting. She fixed Artemis with a venomous glare. "We'll be watching you, _Artemis_."

The blonde gave a tutt and rolled her eyes.

_Crisis fucking averted… I hope you're happy Mr. Science._

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Artemis turned and crawled back out through the board she'd used earlier. It turned out that no one was around the car that was still crying loudly into the street.

The window had been busted out but now there wasn't anyone around at all, so Artemis ignored it and set her eyes on the looming hospital building that had been her original destination.

_Time to pay a visit to dear old dad._


	4. Home

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Another week, another chapter! Please enjoy.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,480 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The old Gotham North hospital was a massive building that dominated the center of the slums.

It filled the surrounding area with a sense of dread rather than the usual comfort that encompassed a safe house for the injured. This particular hospital had been turned into something of a headquarters for the werewolves of the slums, and it was there that her dad issued orders and kept everything under his thumb.

It was kind of intimidating, the way he could scatter the pack out to do anything he wanted them, and see it all, figuratively speaking, from behind the broken windows.

Artemis scowled up at the place as she got closer to it, holding her side the whole way; if she hadn't been so injured she would have been there in a heartbeat as a beast. Then again, she was in no hurry to deal with her least favorite parent.

There had never been any love between them. Lawrence had been ruthless to both herself and her sister ever since they were born, drilling it into their skulls that they were superior because of their gift, as he called it. She remembered spending so much of her early years honing her skills, learning to fight as both a human and a beast; she hadn't even known what all of it was for, just that at first there had been a thirst to prove herself to him.

Surely if she did what he wanted, if she got good enough, then he would love her?

Her jaw tightened.

It was hard for her to believe there had ever been a time that Lawrence had actually loved their mother enough to have kids with her. Especially with the way he had simply left her to her own devices after she became crippled. Oh, he still helped them pay their rent on occasion, but Lawrence was a man that was a fan of having all his ducks in a row. They were part of the pieces in his bigger plan, and once they ceased to be of the right kind of use, they were nothing to him.

Needless to say, Paula's disability and Artemis's stubborn compassion for those she had been trained to handle had put them both squarely in the middle of his list of useless people.

Artemis reached the big glass doors and pulled them open. The inside of the old hospital was dim, filled with broken elevators and people milling around waiting to be seen. Most of them were wolves that she recognized, some were humans of the slums; most people that lived around the place weren't even aware of their existence, which was intended.

Only gangsters and the occasional foolish "hunters" would figure things out eventually, and anyone that did was usually snuffed out in due time. The hospital may have become a headquarters, but it was still a hospital nonetheless, and so the front was kept up.

Artemis walked right on through the halls to the steps, not making eye contact with anyone. It was a long, painful trek to the uppermost floors. By the time she got there, the blonde was panting and sweating. She had to stop to catch her breath and clean the tears from her face, and compose herself enough to keep her hands by her sides.

Then she went straight to the biggest office on the top floor, where her father liked to conduct his daily business.

He had a visitor when she entered. Artemis didn't care and spoke anyway.

"Hey. I'm back." she said bluntly, shutting the door behind her loudly.

"You were gone?" Lawrence Crock grunted absently, looking over a sheet of paper the visitor had handed him. He spoke to the man under his breath, handing it back to him with a shake of his head, thick brows pressed together.

"Yeah. I got shot and almost died. I thought we could share some quality father/daughter bonding time by being disappointed about it," she said sarcastically, crossing her arms. "I just came to report in."

Lawrence largely ignored her until the other man finally left, leaving the two of them alone. The blond leveled her with a piercing stare, one that always managed to make her feel like she was still a little kid. Which was ridiculous, because she was a grown ass woman and he had no fucking authority over her anymore… except he did, because he was the alpha, and that was how packs worked.

"Anything else?" he said in a tone that screamed 'you're wasting my time right now'.

Artemis looked to the side like she was lost in deep thought, tapping her bare foot against the carpeted floor.

"Hmmm, not that I can think of… oh wait a minute, yes I can. Why are you having me followed?" she demanded, trying and failing to keep herself in check. Lawrence smirked at her, walking over to stand right in front of her. The amusement fell from his beefy face as abruptly as it had appeared.

"You know exactly why, girl."

Artemis feigned her knowledge. She wanted to hear it straight from her father's mouth.

"No, I don't!_ No one _ever questioned Jade's motives when she started doing whatever the hell she wanted every night!"

"_Jade_ was a natural born killer. You, on the other hand baby girl, have always been a little _off_," he said flatly, matching her pose of arms crossed, except it was far more intimidating because he had arms that looked like they could crush a truck. "You've never lived up to your potential, it's a waste. And a potential _threat_."

Artemis glared at him, her grey eyes narrowing. He grinned at her.

"Oh, I've known all about you getting comfortable with humans lately. Your sympathies were never hard to figure out; you never did have the guts for killing, but for defying my orders? You excel at that. You smell like a human right _now_," he growled out, grabbing her sleeve without warning. She gasped as he jerked her arm up to his nose, giving the ratty Stanford hoodie a drawn out sniff. He dropped it, her arm falling back against her side as his nostrils flared with repugnance.

"I—" she started, a curse intent on the tip of her defiant tongue, but he interrupted her with a leveled stare that stifled her into silence.

"Do you know _why _I sent those three useless mongrels on your trail? I can tell you right now it's not because you're of any significant importance to me, baby girl. I couldn't care less about your midnight escapades. You want to feed humans that are misfortunate? Go ahead and fatten them up for us, makes them lazy lunch. Hell, give them some weapons while you're at it, that'll make the hunt more of a challenge for us," Lawrence rattled off, gesturing with one of his meaty hands outside of the grimy glass windows with hairline cracks spiraling down them. "I put those three out there to get a message across to you, and now that the message has been sent, you can rest assured that they'll be taken off your trail. You see, I have much bigger things to worry about than you, and I need all of my assets to take care of the _real _threat: those gangster wannabes that think they know what we're all about."

"I—"

"You're a mistake," he finished for her, staring down at her with furrowed eyebrows. She hated it when he looked down on her, like she was a piece of trash he intended to throw away. "I'm going to tell you something and I'm only going to tell it once, so for your sake I hope you're listening. Cameron and the Twins were the lowest possible scum I could spare to follow you, but that doesn't mean I won't send more powerful pack members after your hide if you don't watch yourself. I'm the alpha here, in case you've forgotten, pup. I can see everything when and wherever I want, and you're no exception." He bent down to her level, face-to-face, and grabbed her chin none-too-gently in his calloused fingers, forcing her to look straight into his eyes. "You know _exactly _where the line is drawn, Artemis Crock. You cross that line, put one toe over it? You'll be dead before you're thirty. Do I make myself clear?"

Artemis's jaw was tight when she answered.

"_Perfectly."_

"Good," he growled out, releasing his hold on her with more force than necessary. "Now get back to that mother of yours and stop wasting my time," he told her dismissively, turning back towards the big desk near the window. He paused just as Artemis had finally bit her tongue and decided to get the hell out of there before she did something she regretted. Then he said, "And tell her that she was right about you."

"Whatever."

Artemis let the door slam on her way out; she only wished it had shattered from the impact.

Her entire escape from the hospital was a blur to her, overshadowed by her anger and the pain in her side. It hadn't been like she had expected a lovely meeting with her father, but somehow there was this tiny part of her that managed to still be hurt by his uncaring attitude toward her. It was a flaw that Artemis wished desperately she could claw right out of herself and stomp on with the heel of her boot. It was like a monster ripping a hole right out of her chest cavity every time they came into contact.

She wanted it to stop. She wasn't a kid anymore; she was done imagining he would ever be proud of her for any reason.

And she didn't want him to be. Not anymore. Not if it meant killing and bullying everyone around her.

Making her mom proud was a far better feeling, anyway, and that thought quelled Artemis's turmoil slightly as she made her way home slowly. Taking care of her mom, seeing her smile, the way she carried herself so proudly even from her wheelchair, the amount of compassion she had for people, both beast and human, had always been inspiring to Artemis.

_I'm going to get us out of this hell hole some day, mom. Just wait_, the blonde firmly thought.

By the time Artemis reached the door to their apartment, a great wave of fatigue had fallen over her body. It had taken a lot more than she had realized to keep up her pretense of being in good health for everyone. She felt bad that all of that Wally guy's work had probably come undone with her shower and spiraled even more out of control since. What a fine way to repay him.

"Mom, I'm home," she rasped tiredly, closing the door behind her. Immediately the squeak of her mother's wheelchair sounded, and the woman came rolling through the corridor with relief all over her ragged features. She was an amazing woman, stubborn and stern but always kind when she needed to be. Her olive skin was weathered, but still beautiful, and her earth colored eyes that usually held warmth could have Artemis cowering in a moment's notice if her ire was earned.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried to death; what happened, Artemis?" Paula Crock asked, coming up and taking her daughter's hand in her own. She eyed the Stanford hoodie and baggy jeans curiously, her eyes alighting on Artemis's face. "You are all sweaty, are you alright?"

Confused, Artemis swiped at her forehead with the back of her hand. Sure enough there was a cold, clammy sweat there, despite the fact that she was burning up from her long trek home and up the stairs. The room swam in her vision when she held her side.

"I uh… need to sit down," she murmured, attempting to slip past her mom and staggering. Paula was there swiftly, grabbing her daughter's arm and helping to guide her into the living room, where she deposited her on the couch and crossed her arms sternly.

"Artemis, you are hurt, I can tell."

It was a statement, not even a question. Artemis scowled, pulling the Stanford hoodie up far enough to reveal the place she had been hurt. Paula gasped at it. The blonde looked down, happy to see that at least the rash hadn't spread any further along her skin; unfortunately, it looked ten times worse, incredibly red and warm to the touch of her fingers. The gauze was soaked with blood, leaving no white in it's wake.

Paula carefully removed the gauze, with much moaning on Artemis's part. She hadn't been as good at patching it up as Wally had, and some of the sticky areas keeping it pressed to her skin had latched onto more ragged, sensitive areas.

"_Vật độc_," the woman whispered, letting her index and ring finger trace the edges of it. Artemis hissed in pain, teeth grinding. "You have been shot with silver. Artemis, what has happened?" she demanded more firmly, retracting her digits.

"It's an incredibly long and stupid story," Artemis insisted, laughing without much humor.

"Well, you will be telling me every detail of it after I make you some tea and get our first aid supplies. You are very lucky I know of a good remedy for silver burns, otherwise it would take you twice as long to recover."

"You're the best," Artemis murmured, rubbing at her eyes as her mom wheeled off to get her things.

It turned out the home remedy for silver burns was like the best thing Artemis had ever experienced. It was a thick, faintly purple-colored paste that contained a wide variety of plant ingredients, the most ironic being the incredibly deadly Wolfsbane herb. Artemis had been very disturbed to learn that her mother was rubbing potentially fatal things into her pores, but the woman assured her that it was such a miniscule amount, and so smothered by the other ingredients, that it's only purpose was a good one: neutralizing the silver's poison.

Talk about some _serious _irony.

Artemis practically melted into the couch as the cold stuff was spread evenly across the entire circumference of the injury; it leeched the pain right out of her, coupled with Paula's famous traditional tea. By the time her mother was rubbing the remainder of it off of her hands with a soft towel, Artemis was curling her toes into the carpet.

"_Fenrir_, I need a minute alone," she groaned jokingly, handing her cup over for more liquid therapy. "That stuff feels _amazing_. It's like nothing ever happened!"

"Artemis, your story? Finish it, please," Paula said while filling the fine china back up.

"Oh, yeah. That's pretty much it, actually," she shrugged. "The guy patched me up, and I left."

"You are incredibly lucky he was around… my daughter, almost left for dead in the rain," Paula frowned, her eyes looking shiny as she reached out to lay a hand over Artemis's. Artemis smiled at her, patting it.

"I would have been fine, mom," she lied, swallowing thickly. The older woman wiped at her eyes before grabbing for the gauze in her first aid kit. Her hands fumbled a bit with it, but she composed herself quickly, all business again.

"I do hope you thanked that nice man," she said, eyeing her threateningly. Artemis snorted.

"Of course, mom, I'm not completely stupid. He could have gotten himself into some serious shit though, helping me like that… what an idiot."

"He had no clue, Artemis. To him he was helping a fellow human, and that is a beautiful thing. The world could use more honest men like him, if you ask me."

The words reminded Artemis of what her dad had said to her before she left the headquarters.

"Oh hey, by the way, when I reported in to dad, he told me to tell you that you were right about me, or something. What's that supposed to mean?" Artemis asked, letting the hoodie fall back over her soothed abdomen as soon as her mother had finished taping it up tightly. She twisted her body experimentally, pleased that only a small twinge of pain still existed; Paula had healing hands.

Her mom remained silent so long that Artemis looked up her, shocked to see a pleased smile stretching across her kindly face. "Uh, mom?"

"Oh, it is about time," she mused, taking a sip from her own glass of cool tea before explaining. "I told him long ago, when you were still very young, that you had a strong heart, a kind one. I told him that you had a spirit very different from your sister's, one that would not be broken by his best efforts. He, of course, tried his damnedest to break you... but, my beautiful Artemis, here you are, just as stubborn and hot headed as he is, yet you are so very different. Your spirit is still very much intact, and it angers him to see it so."

Paula's words were so proud that they made Artemis feel uncomfortable. She turned her head to the side, clenching her fists against the couch cushions.

"I think you're forgetting all the shit I've done, mom. He _did _get to me. At least a little."

A weathered hand pushed beneath her chin.

"Artemis, look at me." Reluctantly, she obeyed. "Artemis the things your father has made you do would break a lesser woman. I only regret I could not find a way to keep him from you, but what is done is done. As much as we would like not to admit it, he has made you _stronger_. The fact that you have weathered all the obstacles he has put before you only proves to me that you are a kind, compassionate young woman that was meant to _help _others, not hurt them. This life has shaped you, but it has not changed you one bit from birth. Do you understand me?"

The blonde bit at her bottom lip.

"I… think so, mom."

"Good. Now, I want you to go and get your rest, the remedy will be of no use to a body that is not relaxed," Paula said, turning away to pack up all the supplies she had used. Artemis, her mind still trying to wrap itself around all the things her mom had just said to her, got up, intent on heading to her room. "Oh, and Artemis?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I am so glad that you are safe. I... don't know what I would do, if something happened."

Artemis looked at her mother, only to find that her head was still bowed over the first aid kit. A lump formed in her throat, but she managed to swallow it down enough for words to have an exit route. She laughed, a low sound.

"Oh, you know me mom, I always come back. I'm too stubborn to die."

She turned and went down the hall to her room, closing the door behind herself with a click. For a long while she rested with her back against it, unable to keep one corner of her plump lips from pulling upward a fraction. Never had she heard her mother speak so certainly, or so passionately from her heart. It was kind of scary to have something like that directed her way, especially when she looked at the timeline of her life.

But it also felt really good to hear that sort of thing. Even if she might not be entirely convinced.

With a sigh, Artemis dragged herself over to her bed and flopped down onto the worn mattress. The springs creaked as she shifted on top of the messy blankets, and Fenrir, she was just so damn tired. Outside, the birds chirped out as the day wore on into noon, but the blonde was ready to sleep until the crickets sang.

She closed her eyes, everything that had happened in the past twelves hours flicking around beneath her eyelids, some good, some bad. _Most _bad, actually.

She breathed deeply through her nose, humming at the pleasant scent that filled her nostrils.

Laundry detergent and chemicals. A strangely soothing smell.

Wally West.

She had almost forgotten about still being clad in his borrowed clothes. A yawn ripped from her throat as she settled more firmly into her pillows, her mind already beginning to drift away from her.

Wally West had been one of the good aspects, she supposed. He wasn't really _so _bad, for a moron.

She really should return his clothes. He at least deserved to see that she was still alive, didn't he?

Yes, she could see him again, at least for that.

After the full moon in two days.

After she had slept for a week. A month, maybe.

Yeah, that'd work.


	5. Pancakes

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys, reviews are totally my lifeblood!**

**Dick and Wally time yaaaaay!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter length: 5,156 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The scent of bleach was so overwhelming that Wally was sure his olfactory receptors would be damaged by it.

He had spent the entirety of his morning hours mixing up and utilizing a bleach concoction to try and save his furniture from the blood of the very strange Artemis.

After, of course, picking up all the clothes and various items she had strewned all over his bedroom floor while prancing around his house in her birthday suit.

So basically is was _not _the kind of morning he wanted to discuss in his weekly phone calls to his mother.

_"Hi mom, what's going on? How's dad doing? Who me? I've just been scrubbing dried up blood from that couch you guys helped me buy a few years back. S'no big, I'm _much _more interested about your day!"_

Yeah, that wouldn't go well.

With a sigh the scientist leaned back to observe the results of his latest bout of vigorous scrubbing. The stain was far less garish than it had been when he'd started, but the only accomplishment he'd made with it was that it now resembled the faded color of an old cherry Koolaid spill. A much more passible excuse for Wally West, but it still simulated incriminating body fluids more than he'd like.

He groaned out loud, dropping the worn, pink-stained rag back into the bucket before combing his fingers frustratedly through his tousled hair.

"She could have at least stayed to help," he grumbled to himself, sitting with a flop onto the chair he had borrowed from his kitchen. His lower lip pouted outward as he turned his attention to the window, arms crossed. The sun was filtering in through the open pane, and it was difficult for Wally to accept it had only been several hours since Artemis had left in his clothes. "It's _her _blood…"

_Like she had _chosen _to be shot?_

Wally scowled at his own thoughts, observing one of his red hands absently; the crimson tinge of his raw skin reminded him jarringly of last night.

All morning his mind had drifted back to the questionable blonde. And it wasn't _just _to think about her incredible naked bod that he had innocently taken note of.

He was _way _more mature than that.

_Hah._

Aside from that though, he wondered if she was okay.

What if Artemis hadn't made it home?

She had certainly seemed like a mildly unstable individual, and her wound… well, she should have been laid low for at _least _a few days. Or a week. It was entirely possible, he supposed, that she could have been simply experiencing a high period and completely relapsed into horrible, delusional pain before she could make it back home.

Wherever her home even _was_.

"Should have taken her home," Wally scolded himself, his fingers curling around his biceps. "What a stupid move, just letting her walk away like that. What if she got herself killed?"

The thought made him feel uneasy.

On the off chance Artemis _hadn't _passed out (unlikely), what if she had traveled back through the place she had been attacked to start with? What if her would-be killers were waiting for her there? What if she was so unstable she didn't even _know _her way back to her home?

"Idiot!" Wally growled at himself, getting more antsy and frustrated with each passing thought. He stood up so suddenly that his chair fell over.

He had let a woman who was barefoot, clad in nothing but baggy clothes, and injured, walk herself home in _Gotham freaking City_? If Mary West was sitting there with him right then, she would have given him a good earful about what a horrible gentlemen and indecent human being he had been.

'_I thought I raised you better than that, Wallace West!'_

And she'd be right on all accounts. She _had _raised him better.

Yet the sad truth was that Wally knew he would be doomed to live in the dark about Artemis no matter what direction her story had taken.

Wally was no psychologist, but it didn't take one to pick up on body language that shouted loud and clear, 'I don't want to be here and there's no way in hell I'm coming back, you crazy ginger'.

_Which is why I should just forget about her_, he tried to convince himself mentally, sighing and bending down to begin anew on the cleansing of his furniture. _Why waste my time? If _she _didn't care about her life then why should… _

He bit down hard on his tongue to quell the stinging thoughts. No, that way of thinking wasn't even in his DNA. He cared. He cared a whole awful lot about life, about _her _life.

He couldn't fathom just letting a dying human being expire right in front of him, no matter _what _they thought of themselves. There was nothing on the planet that could convince him that everything from the previous night had been a waste of his time.

_Wherever you are, I really hope you got there safe_, Wally thought, frowning blankly at the messed cushions. The blood seemed so trivial now.

He wondered more than ever what events had gotten her shot in the first damn place. Who had shot her, why was she out so late in a bad neighborhood, and most importantly of all, why had she been in the nude when he found her?

It was not a crass intentioned thought, it was one that bubbled and frothed with potential rage. All of the worst case scenarios kept running through his head over and over.

What if someone had sexually assualted her, then she'd gotten herself away and they'd shot her in spite?

_She'd have probably had bruises if she'd been assaulted_...

But it wasn't enough to reassure him. There were only so many situations he could envision her in which the climax resulted in her naked and shot on a dark weeknight.

Wally shook his head violently, trying to quash all of those thoughts. He had to or it'd eat him up from the inside out until he was hunting down the woman's would-be killer and interrogating them until they fessed up.

Come to think of it, that didn't sound like such a bad idea...

"This blood isn't going anywhere anyway," the redhead said aloud, slowing in his attempts with the rag. "I need to go on a jog or something… blow off some steam…"

Wally was just about to do exactly that when his front door opened, and Dick Grayson stepped in like he owned the place.

The man was in his police uniform, his wide shoulders far more tense than they usually were when he swaggered into his best pal's apartment looking for shits and giggles. It was because of this that Wally could immediately tell something was off.

"Dick, what's up?" the scientist asked curiously, happy for the distraction. He straighened up and dropped his rag into the bucket; bleach water splashed over his arms and face.

"Hey," Dick said breathlessly, not having looked at Wally yet as he swiftly turned and closed the door behind him. "I've had a call. Dude, we _really _need to ta—"

Upon facing his friend, the dark-haired man froze in place with his mouth open in mid-sentence, staring at Wally with wide blue eyes. It was a freaked out kind of expression, maybe the way Wally would expect his friend to look at him if he'd sprouted an extra head in an experiment gone wrong. Not that Wally logically thought that would happen or anything, but Dick was always on his case about his home science lab and seemed thoroughly convinced Wally was going to mutate into something grotesque one day.

Very funny, _highly _improbable.

But then, that was Dick Grayson in a nutshell.

"You alright?" Wally asked, snapping his fingers. "What kind of call? Work call? Or are you having Babs problems again? Oh wait, I bet Zee hit on you again, didn't she?" Wally groaned. "Dude, I am _so _not relationship counseling you again, do I look like I've gotten laid in the last year? You're on your own."

Wally had this tendency to blab when he was unsure about something. And he was _very _unsure about the slightly horrified look Dick still had on his face.

"Jesus Wally, _what the hell did you do!?" _Grayson exclaimed, voice strangled as he took a step forward.

The redhead was so confused by his behavior; what was with everyone in his life being so odd here lately? Was there some kind of new drug going around the underground?

So good even the law enforcement was getting hooked on it, obviously.

"Man, what are you _talking _about?" Wally inquired back, watching his friend's wild eyes dart from his chest to the couch. Then, it sort of clicked for Wally. "_Oh… _"

He must have looked like a homicidal lunatic to Dick, standing there with sleep crazy hair, tired eyes, and a gigantic, deep red blood stain on his white t-shirt. When he had carried his charge home, she had bled all over his clothes, and it had seeped through his blue cotton button down shirt onto the one beneath. Wally had been so distracted by everything in the last twelve hours that he had forgotten to ever shower or at least change into some clean duds.

So now Dick was seeing what looked like his best friend turned axe murderer, frantic in his maddened attempts to wash away the evidence of his act of crime.

Wally's eyes bugged out with the realization of it all. He brought his hands up in front of himself, waving them in a gesture of surrender as he stepped back from the sofa.

"I swear this isn't what it looks like!" he yelped loudly, unsure of what to say to remedy the situation. How could he have been so dumb to forget to clean himself up? Who sat around in someone else's blood for twelves hours? "I know this looks really bad."

"_Bad_?" Dick managed. "Wally, this is— am I going to have to drag my best friend's ass down to the station for questioning? I can't _believe _this!" He reached for his belt, his fingers resting readily on the cool metal of his handcuffs; a relfexive reaction rather than a hostile one.

Wally still couldn't believe he was even seeing the gesture though.

"Dude, really? You actually _think _that I—? Oh man, friendship terminated!" the redhead groused, crossing his arms.

"Wally, you clearly aren't seeing this from my point of view right now. I'm with the _law_, and right now you're looking kind of criminal! Believe me, I don't want to do this, but you need to start explaining right now or I'm going to have to take action," Dick said to him, pulling his hand away and gesturing at the blood. "I've known you for years and I _know _you're not a murderer, but I can't just ignore this."

"Alright, alright! I understand, dude, I do," Wally told him, hating everything about the situation. It was funny that he had thought he couldn't suffer two bad days in a row, but so far it was shaping up to be just that. "Just… chill and give me a chance here before you drag me downtown for questioning. Okay?"

Dick opened his mouth to answer, but right then the scientist's stomach let out a loud, protesting gurgle, making him clutch at his empty abdomen. He hadn't even had any breakfast this morning, which was a pretty serious thing for him.

There was hardly anything in the world that could tear Wally away from his precious food, but apparently bleeding blonde women were more important to his brain than getting proper feeding.

Clearly it needed to sort out it's priorities.

Wally gave his pal an apologetic look. The man's eyebrow went up.

"Seriously?" he deadpanned. "You're under threat of arrest and you're thinking about food? I would say I'm surprised, but exasperated is a better word for it," Dick said, rubbing a hand over his face with a resigned half smile.

"I forgot to eat breakfast!" Wally defended, walking into his kitchen; he could hear Dick's boots thudding across the floor as he followed, no doubt eyeing the bloody couch for a better look as he passed it. "I've been… distracted."

"With killing people?"

"No! Damnit, Dick, that's not funny!"

"Neither is you or your apartment right now."

Wally ignored him, walking over to his double wide refrigerator and sticking his head inside of it busily. He was aware that Dick was hovering behind him impatiently, and he never appreciated someone rubbernecking him where food was concerned.

"Sit the hell down while I make me some pancakes or something," he said, grabbing a couple of pieces of string cheese. "You want coffee?"

He heard Dick sigh, then a moment later the scraping of wood against linoleum told him that he had made himself comfortable at the kitchen table.

"It's noon but... Sure, why not. Look, I came over here because we got a call down at the station. There was a body found on the outskirts of the slums."

Wally's blood turned to ice in his veins.

_Oh no. _

An image of a blonde haired, broken body consumed his mind's eye. It was like a nightmare coming to life, his fears being confirmed.

He lifted his head up, bumping it against the fridge in his haste and dropping the stick of cheese that had been hanging between his teeth when he yelped in pain. Rubbing at his sore head and trying not to panic too much in front of Dick, Wally gave him a searching, desperate look.

"What? Who? What did sh— what did they look like? Was it someone we knew?"

"Nah. Male, confirmed member of a prominent gang," Dick said simply, waving it away. Wally felt like he could breathe again.

_It wasn't her…_

He repeated it in his head like it was a mantra, his heart thudding to a slower pace.

"But that's not why I came to see you. We got some witness testimonies from the nearby Bibbo's restaurant. There was a man in there that was pretty convinced he had seen a suspicious _redhead _carrying someone out in the rain last night as he left the restaurant, after a series of gunshots had been heard."

Wally didn't look at him. Instead he busied himself with grabbing a couple of mugs and setting the coffee maker up correctly, taking his time with the buttons like he had never used it before in his life. He cleared his throat once the machine whirred into action, heating up the water. He had begun mixing pancake batter in a bowl before he bothered to answer.

"I'm not the _only _redhead in Gotham," he grumbled, pouring the pan full of slightly lumpy batter. He didn't even know why he was lying to Dick about it; maybe because he was already on thin ice with the whole blood everywhere thing. Either way, he wasn't too keen on confirming his presence near Bibbo's just now.

"But you _are _the only one I know of that visits it religiously," Dick pointed out cheekily, grinning. Wally had to give him that one; Bibbo's was pretty much his dinner every single night after work. Hey, he didn't claim it to be the healthiest habit in the world, but that's why he kept himself healthy by jogging it all off… then eating some more.

A neverending cycle of gaining and losing calories, as he liked to reason.

"But even more interesting," Dick plowed on, raising his voice over the combined sounds of coffee trickling into a cup and the mix starting to sizzle. "I saw a woman in your clothes today. Right outside the police line."

Wally fumbled in shock, knocking the bowl off the counter with his elbow. Luckily there wasn't much left inside of it, but it still made one hell of a mess, splattering over everything within a two foot radius, which included his pants. It didn't phase the scientist any, as he was far too elated at the prospect that Artemis may have been alright after all.

"What, you _saw _her?!"

Dick raised his eyebrows. Wally sighed, turning back to his late breakfast. He flipped the giant pancake onto it's other side before addressing his pal again.

"Okay, so I _was _the redhead at Bibbo's… but I wasn't doing anything suspicious…"

He told Dick everything.

He told him about the gunshots, the hesitation, the crashing sound that led him to a blonde woman bleeding. He told him about patching her up("That's where all the blood came from, are you satisfied now?"), about her roaming around his house naked the next morning and digging through his stuff like it was no big deal(Dick cackled at this point), and lastly about her hurry to leave.

"Wait a minute," Dick interrupted at the end of it all, palms resting flat on the table. "So this chick was dying, but she refused to let you call an ambulance?"

Wally glanced away uncomfortably.

"Well… sort of. I just assumed she didn't have insurance, or maybe she was… a, uh… you know." His face flushed. Somehow he knew it didn't seem quite right, but it had been his first thought.

"Workin' the corner?" Dick supplied, his face devoid of humor. He had probably been on the scene of one too many such cases to find it anything more than absolutely depressing.

"Well, yeah. What are _you _thinking?" Wally asked, eyeing him after flipping his oversized and half-burnt pancake onto a plate with practice.

"A lot of things I wish I could say I _wasn't _thinking," Dick admitted, narrowing his eyes in thought. Wally handed him a mug filled with coffee before moving back to the stove; Dick sipped at it thoughtfully. "Wally, are you still in contact with her at all? Her being shot near the same place that man was killed... I can't help but think it might all be connected. I need to ask her some questions."

"What, you think _she _killed that guy?" Wally asked, his heart hammering at the very idea.

What if she had found her killer and exacted some sort of revenge?

Wally may have wanted to hurt the person for what they'd done to the Artemis, but that was all more figurative; sure, he'd like to see the perpetrator get locked up, but taking someone's life?

That was unfathomable.

But what if he had saved the life of a cold blooded murderer without realizing it?

_No_, a voice told him with certainty. _That's not right at all._

He seemed so certain about a woman he didn't even know, yet he knew deep down that it was true. She was no killer. A little off her rocker, but he couldn't believe she was a killer.

"Maybe, maybe not. She didn't tell you anything, did she? Anything at all about what she might be doing or where she might be going?"

Wally laughed at the very idea.

"Dude, the woman was half-delirious with pain and probably a _little _psychotic. She didn't tell me anything; hell, she barely let me touch her to patch her up. What makes you think she'd tell me a thing when she was so determined to get away from me and back to her friends?"

_Friends_. He couldn't forget the way she had used that term, the way her expression had resembled that of someone just told they had to endure a very unpleasant visit at the dentist's office. Whoever her "friends" were, she hadn't sounded like she thought very highly of them.

"_And _she wanted to leave before her friends got concerned…" Dick murmured more to himself, eyes slit. He looked at Wally. "What I'm thinking now is that you may have gotten yourself involved in something you shouldn't be involved with," the raven-haired man sighed out, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Wally, it sounds honestly to me like a gang war of some kind. Or..." he trailed off, expression pensive. "Assuming for a moment there _is _a connection between her and the crime scene, and given the state of the victim, it _could _have been…"

Wally immediately knew what Dick was thinking, and the ludicrousy of it made his blood pressure rise. He shook his head, anger etched across his features; it was the kind of crap a logical guy like him just couldn't tolerate, and never would. It would never cease to astound him, how such silly rumors could turn even the smartest people into blathering idiots.

"Dude, don't you _even _say it!" he growled, pouring more batter into the frying pan. "I can't stand it when you talk about that shit. It's stupid. She is _not_!"

"Wally, you don't even know this woman! Can you just get traught for about ten seconds and consider the possibility that there _is _something to all this werewolf talk?"

There it was, the thing that made Wally lose both his hair and his faith in the human race.

_Werewolves_.

What a major load. It was no secret to anyone that the slums were a strange, creepy, and very dangerous place, full of all sorts of criminal weirdos who wanted to work their way up to the top, make a name for themselves. Somewhere along the line, rumours had gotten started among Gotham that there were some kind of… _beasts _that had moved in and started laying claim to the territory. It had started out as a joke several years ago, probably set ablaze by some delinquent college students that'd consumed too much booze.

Then the media had gotten in on it all. Every single dog attack that happened within the invisible boundary of the slums was accompanied by a news story that questioned whether it really was a dog attack at all. Then the joking voices became more serious, and Wally's tolerance for the joke waned with each passing day.

"_Are there werewolves in Gotham?"_

"_Third dog mauling this week… could it really be the work of feral beasts?"_

"_...group is determined to shed light on the reality of werewolves in the Gotham slums."_

"_We have to start taking this seriously before it's too late."_

Wally would bet all of his money that it was some douchebag gangsters that called themselves the Werewolves, who by now were most likely eating up all the publicity and thinking of ways they could rake in some cash off of it. It physically pained him to see the entire city starting to accept creatures from myth as a viable possibility for the severe death toll in the darker part of town. An insult, actually.

"Don't you think it's a little upsetting to people's memories of the dead, to suggest to them with a completely _serious _face that their loved one was slashed to death by a _werewolf_?" Wally snorted, flipping the finished pancake onto the plate with the other one. He grabbed his pancakes and a bottle of syrup, and sat himself down across from Dick, who appeared unphased by Wally's question. "And by the police no less! It's a lie on top of pain they're already experiencing."

Dick shook his head, leaning back in his seat.

"You haven't seen half the things I have, Wally. Spend a few weeks on the job sometime, and I think it'd have you singing a new tune."

"Pass. And doubt it." Wally dumped the remaining half-bottle of syrup all over his flapjacks. "Werewolves are magic, and this man doesn't do magic. Because magic doesn't exist, in case you hadn't noticed, and there is no logical, scientific explanation for the existence of any sort of… _were-monsters _to be roaming the streets of Gotham at night. You heard how dumb that sounded, right? Now imagine being me and having to listen to everyone talk about it like it's as plausible as a thunderstorm rolling in."

The cop rolled his eyes. The redhead stabbed into his breakfast with gusto, shoving three or four fork fulls of it into his mouth before bothering to start chewing it all.

"Mmm, 'ats goo'," he hummed, practically melting at the delicious sugary taste spreading over his tongue. There was simply no better way to start the day than with a giant stack of pancakes… or three. Wally would almost say he couldn't function normally without the things in his system; after all, it was about the only smell that could get him out of the bed in a flash in the early morning. " 'ou wan' shum?" he asked Dick, swallowing. "I'm definitely making more of these, and I'm feeling nice despite your crazy talk."

"No thanks," Dick said, holding up his coffee mug to indicate that it was enough. "_Some _of us have been up since seven, I'm ready for lunch."

"More for me!" Wally sang happily, taking a swig from his own coffee. Dick waited for him to come up for air before shaking his head.

"You know, I'm not going to sit here all day trying to convince your oversized ego that there's a such thing as werewolves," Dick said, standing up with a grinding of chair legs. "But I _am _going to tell you that you should really watch yourself. Regardless of who this Artemis girl is and what she's involved in. I don't think I could handle having to choose between the law and my best friend."

Wally's brows furrowed.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that. If I ever got on the wrong side of the law I would fully expect you to treat me just like anyone else. You know that."

"It's not that simple. I've arrested a… friend, before. It's hard."

The scientist averted his gaze, well aware of who he was talking about.

"I remember..." Wally reminded him quietly.

It had been a hard time for everyone involved in the case, not only for Dick but for Barbara and Bruce and Tim and…. the list went on. Even Wally himself had felt the repercussions of it all, had felt somehow betrayed by someone he had considered a good friend. He never wanted to cause Dick or his friends or family that sort of pain.

A silence passed between them, in which Wally didn't take a single bite of his late breakfast.

"Well," he began in that same soft tone, looking his best friend dead in the eye and smiling a little wanly, "you don't have to worry at all about that. I'm pretty positive that Artemis is never showing up on my doorstep ever again."

"You know, I'm surprised you let a strange woman just take off with your Stanford hoodie like that," Dick said, scooting his chair in and leaning on the back of it. A smirk graced his features; a clear attempt to steer the conversation toward lighter waters. "Your _lucky _Stanford hoodie with the gigantic bleach stain on it?"

"Shu' up," Wally growled, cheeks filled to the brim with food. Dick cackled at him.

"Come on, you never shut up about that thing. Let's see, how was it? 'Dick, you don't understand, this hoodie has _powers_! I was wearing it when I aced my exams and the first time I got laid!' Something like that, right?" Dick wheedled, clearly having a good time recalling the fond memories from their two overlapping years at Gotham University.

Wally had originally attended the prestigious Stanford University in California, but in the middle of his sophomore year had learned of some pretty stellar opportunities for himself if he transferred to Gotham University clear on the other side of the states. It seemed that somehow the local branch of Star Labs had learned of himself and a few other exceedingly intelligent students and offered them some interesting career possibilities if they attended their last years at Gotham Uni. It was there that Wally had met Dick, whom had been just starting his Freshman year at the very same college.

And thus was Wally doomed to be life friends with a man that took great pleasure in causing him any sort of embarrassment and discomfort, especially when it came to matters of romance or flirting, which some liked to argue that Wally did far too much. He totally disagreed.

"Dude, I never said any of that! Okay, so I did mention it acing me some exams, but I'm pretty sure you're making up that last part!"

He wasn't. Wally really _had _been wearing that hoodie when he got laid for the first time. It wasn't like the world's best thing ever, because he had been totally awkward and weird and inexperienced in all things _woman_, so he liked to pretend that he had no memory of bragging about such things to Dick.

So far it had done wonders for his ego.

"Right, right."

"Even if that were true, which it's _not_, don't act like you've never had something you felt like made you lucky!" Wally reposted, getting up from his own seat to start making himself a few more pancakes. "Like that super expensive, incredibly awesome calculator that Babs got you in sophomore year of highschool, which you swore up and down was the sole reason for your exam success forever thereafter? The calculator you treat like a freaking baby? Ringing any bells?"

"Hey, that thing is special, do you have any idea how hard it is to find one that includes the differential equations function?" Dick defended. Wally grinned to himself, glad to have gotten the subject off of himself. "Babs worked her ass off to get me that thing, of course I treat it like a baby."

"Right, and it has nothing to do with the fact that she _also _gave you a sweet wittle kiss on the cheek when she gave it to you," Wally crooned, making exaggerated kissy faces in his direction. "Oh, and let's not forget that special blue and black jacket of yours that you just so _happen _to wear every single time you see Zatanna. You thinkin' maybe one day it'll get you a kiss from her, too?"

"Alright, ha ha, Wally. I've gotta get back to the station now," Dick insisted abruptly, already striding out of the kitchen. The redhead knew he had struck quite the nerve; Dick had been struggling with feelings toward both of the women for a few years, and it was rather painful (yet incredibly entertaining) for Wally to have to watch. It was like an ongoing television series that he couldn't wait to see the finale of.

He just hoped there wouldn't be any tears.

"Have fun," he called cheerily.

"And let me know if you have anymore contact with Artemis," Dick called.

Wally's face fell a bit. He didn't answer, and the sound of his front door closing was like an echo in his ears.


	6. Small Talk

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Surprise! Gonna start trying to update this on Tuesdays and Fridays if I can. **

**I appreciate all the reviews and love guys, please enjoy.**

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**Chapter Length: 5,434 words**

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Apartment number B03.

She couldn't believe she was actually standing there in front of the imposing door with it's violent yellow paint.

Thinking about _seeing _him.

She'd had two days, two whole days to come down off her pain meds and think clearly enough to talk herself out of this asinine decision. Yet there she stood with her boot tapping into the carpet.

Artemis caught her bottom lip between her teeth, brows furrowing her face into a scowl as her tired gray eyes bore into the loud golden numbers of the apartment.

It wasn't too late to salvage what was left of her dignity. Wouldn't it be simple, the best thing in fact, to knock on his door and leave the cleaned and pressed clothes in a messy heap so she could hightail it out of there without ever speaking a word to Wallace West? She might even deign to leave a little note on the articles, thanking him for his troubles and reassuring him of her satisfactory recovery rate ("P.S. You're stupid for helping me").

As if her body could sense the falsity of that last thought, her wound gave a painful twinge. It was enough to make her suck in a breath of mild discomfort and drop his clothes on floor in her haste to press against it with her palm.

Okay, so _maybe _her recovery rate was going to take a little longer than Wally's and her mother's abilities combined would have allowed.

This being, of course, because Artemis just _had _to go and overdo it the night before last. She preferred to blame it on the moon though; it wasn't _her _fault that she got restless as hell, pumped so full of energy that just begged her to go chasing the moonlight across the rooftops. It wasn't _her _fault that she had maybe strained herself too much and ripped her healing gunshot wound back open.

The moon was just a controlling bitch.

Paula had rather disagreed with the moon-blaming, at any rate. Artemis had felt like a child again with the stern chiding she received as the strong little woman had caked more of her Wolfsbane remedy on it and tightened the bindings more than necessary.

"_Artemis, you have undone that man's good work with your recklessness! You had better show yourself to him now, daughter, it is the least you can do for putting his care to waste! I have already cleaned his things up, they're sitting in your room on the bed. Hold still!"_

The blonde groaned at the memory; why oh _why _had she even told her mother about her possible, maybe, I-don't-know-for-sure-it-was-just-a-half-sleepy-idea plan to return to Wally's apartment?

_Because it seemed like a good idea at the time? _her brain supplied, and she snorted.

Artemis gazed down at the offending garments, which had fallen out of their neat little pressed square into a heap on the ground.

The damn things _reeked _of him; that was how she had found her way back to him in the first place. That outrageous smell of laundry detergent and chemicals had led her to this very spot, where the aroma therein became so powerful that it almost gagged her. Without a doubt her senses had been dulled from the pain last time she'd set foot in the place, to not have noticed how overpowering the stench was.

"What does he do, _bathe _in it?" Artemis cursed quietly to herself, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she bent to retrieve the hoodie and pants. "It's like he's _trying _to get himself noticed…"

With a scent that potent, it was a miracle he had never gotten picked up before, especially if he hung out near the slums often. The thought unnerved her greatly, but she knew it to be true. It was just another reason that she shouldn't be hanging around here right now.

The mere image of that freckled face lying lifeless on the floor of his own apartment… it made Artemis blanch.

_But there's no one following me anymore, dad doesn't even give a fuck about what I do or who I see... There's _no _reason for Wally West to be hunted down by the pack now._

Artemis had made absolutely certain she wasn't being followed anymore on her way to Wally's apartment. In addition to taking a longer route that looped around a wider section of Gotham to confuse any wolves that might be following her, she had neither seen nor smelled the faintest trace of Cameron and the twins since their confrontation three days ago.

It seemed that Lawrence really _had _pulled in all of his assets for the home field advantage.

That was hardly an excuse to be reckless, though. Getting this shit over with and leaving as soon as she could would still be doing the both of them a huge favor.

Right?

Sighing at herself, his clothes safely in her hands once more, the blonde set her jaw and rapped her knuckles loudly against the cool surface of the door. Maybe she would get lucky and he wouldn't even answer; it wasn't like she knew his life's schedule. It was seven in the evening and he could very well be at work, or—

Not.

The door remained closed only for a few seconds more. When it swung open a blast of fresh laundry detergent/chemical scent slapped Artemis in the face, making her head spin. Her nostrils flared widely, but she managed to keep herself outwardly composed as Wally West appeared in the doorway.

"Ye—" he started with a pleasant voice. And he looked just the same as her fuzzy memories had filed away.

Freckles on every surface of skin that was bared to her with that baby blue button up with the sleeves rolled to the elbows; unruly red hair sticking whichever way it so pleased, and green eyes. She hadn't really paid much attention to them before, having been struggling just to keep her own eyes open for most of her previous time with him.

They were such green things; intelligent, pleasant, promising, kind.

She liked them. They were very different from hers, which were hard and calculating.

"_Artemis?" _he asked in disbelief, her name croaking from his lips. His ginger eyebrows looked to be in danger of disappearing clear into his hairline, and his mouth had fallen slightly agape. His hand still rested on the doorknob, clenching there until his knuckles turned white. For a beat he gawked at her, but then she arched one of her delicate brows and he seemed to come to his senses, clearing his throat and dropping his hand to his side. "Artemis."

She smirked despite herself.

"You remembered me. I'm flattered."

"It's, uh, kind of hard to forget carrying a mortally injured woman into your house," Wally said, stepping away from the threshold, rubbing at the back of his neck. He stepped to the side, allowing her a glimpse into his living room, and jabbed a thumb over towards his sofa. "The memory's sorta clinging into my couch."

Her sharp gray eyes could see the faintest trace of her blood absorbed into the otherwise spotless material. The blonde felt an involuntary twinge of guilt within her, her hand subconsciously flying to the re-bandaged portion of skin near her ribs. Wally's quick green eyes didn't fail to notice the movement, much to her chagrin.

"Are you healing okay?" he asked, head tilting in concern. "I didn't really expect you to come back. Did my first aid hold up? I'm not exactly a doctor."

Artemis was confused by the sincerity leaching out of his voice, but she cleared her throat and removed her palm from the spot, standing tall and proud, letting her lip quirk to one side.

"I'm healing just fine," she informed him, one hand resting on her hip. "I mean, I changed it on my own after I borrowed your shower, but… the technique held up well enough. I wouldn't, you know, suggest volunteering at your local hospital, but… it's good."

"Are you sure?" Wally inquired, leaning closer to peer at her. His ginger brows furrowed, creating a prominent wrinkle between them. "You look really tired. Has the pain kept you up?"

Fucking traitorous body of hers had to go and send pain signals to her brain right at that exact moment, forcing her to wince rather noticeably and tug at her side again. She still managed to rasp out "_No_." to him like she meant it, which must have been what twisted his face into a more unpleasant kind of expression.

He looked a little irritated by her failed attempt at brushing it off. "You should have just let me call an ambulance, you know? Just _who are you_, anyway?" He demanded mildly.

Artemis scowled, thrusting his clothes forward on an impulse. He went cross-eyed looking down at them, face relaxing into one of surprise. This man was a scientist, as Artemis had found out on his many science awards and plaques throughout the apartment when she had wandered in the nude, which meant he had a naturally dangerous curiosity for questioning pretty much everyone and everything.

And he was about to step into territory that Artemis wasn't keen on discussing with him.

_Time to get out of here_.

This idiot was really _asking _for trouble. _Literally_. He must have been some kind of magnet for it.

It would explain why _something _had been compelling her feet to stay planted to the ground for this long already.

"I'm none of your business. Look, I just came to return your smelly clothes, which, by the way, my mom took the liberty of cleaning for you. So you're welcome for that," she said crisply, dropping them. The redhead fumbled with a slight yelp, catching them before they could hit the floor at his feet. "Now that I've given them back, I'm leaving. Good-bye."

Artemis turned on her heel with every intention of jogging herself right back down the stairs and never seeing him again. She had returned both his clothes and her bill of good health to him as her mother had wished(as Artemis had _wanted _to do anyway) and now she would walk out of his life forever before—

"Artemis, wait!" Wally said, dropping his clothes again with a soft thump. Artemis spun around without hesitation, her hair whipping out and catching his freckled cheek. He grunted, rubbing at the skin, backing away because her spontaneous change of direction had caused him to be intruding into her personal space. He frowned. "Wait, I'm sorry. Well, I am, but I'm also _not_," he emphasized, making a dramatic hand gesture and jutting his bottom lip out angrily, comically. "You really should have just… _ugh_, nevermind. Just tell me you're not tired because of some kind of residual pain? I could have given you some good pain meds to go if you hadn't left in such a hurry."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Why did he even care so much? It was stupid, and maddening. No one had ever shown that sort of sincere care towards Artemis in her entire life, save for her mother; and to a much lesser and more subtle extent, her sister. She wasn't even sure how to react to such blatant interest in her well-being, especially from a complete stranger.

It wasn't in the nature of her pack to care that much about one another, not unless it was in their own best interest.

"Uh, why what?"

"Why do you care if I went to the hospital or not? Or whether I've been in pain?"

"You're _joking_, right?" Wally asked in exasperation, staring at her like she had grown a second head. She stared right back, sizing him up as best she could. Despite her tendency to help humans, the blonde had never had much personal interaction with them aside from her mother.

Maybe this was just a strange human behavior that spanned across the species.

Artemis crossed her arms, thinking, letting her gray eyes alight on his sneakers. She rubbed at her face roughly, aware that there were deep bags beneath her eyes. She hadn't gotten any sleep in the last twenty four hours, so it was no wonder he had noticed her physical fatigue to start with.

She sighed tiredly.

"I'm fine, okay? I just… have these, uh, episodes, sometimes." Oh wow, that was a good lie. Definitely the best she had ever come up with while her brain was running on fumes. Episodes, good god.

She should be walking away right now.

So why wasn't she?

Wally's eyebrows rose. "Episodes? You… mean like _seizures_, or something?"

"Yeah. Yeah, something like that. I have a um, condition. It's nothing serious, but I have really sleepless nights sometimes. I got used to it."

_Please kill me._

"All the more reason you should have gone to the hospital," the scientist said smugly. "What if that shot put stress on your body and—"

"Ugh! Will you drop the hospital thing already!" she growled in frustration. "Look, I… _appreciate _your interest in my health, but my reasons are my own. I'm good, my wound is healing, and we really need to get back to our own, _separate _lives now, so if you'll excuse me…"

She turned on her heel, but she didn't move immediately. There was a pause, like she was waiting on something, something she shouldn't be hoping for but was.

"Wait."

Artemis let out an exasperated noise, but turned and crossed her arms none-the-less. "What?"

"Do you want to come in?" he blurted out, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other gesturing into his apartment. "I was about to make myself some burgers when you showed up, and you look like you could use the energy?"

He made it sound like a question.

Artemis found her gaze darting to the floor, her teeth biting into her tender lower lip. Despite the hundreds of red flags and sirens blaring angrily at her in the more rational part of her brain, despite how she had been thinking about nothing but how much she needed to get away from this guy, and no matter how much she knew her presence could potentially be painting a red target on his door in the future...

She couldn't move; didn't _want _to. Words stuck in her throat as she battled internally with herself.

Because the honest truth was, Artemis wanted to stay.

She wanted to be able to say yes to an offer of food with a strange human that didn't know jack shit about who she was or what her past held or what kind of life she led outside of his apartment complex.

It was a juvenile, tantalizing idea of a relationship she couldn't know would work one way or another, yet that burning desire for it was there, buried however deeply beneath her thoughts of distancing herself from everything Wally West.

It was what had brought her here in the first place if she was honest, it was what was currently anchoring her stubbornly to the threshold of his living room.

He was an idiot, but he could be an idiot escape from a world she wanted nothing more than to leave behind her.

Could it be so wrong of her to want to have one connection to a world she had been taught was beneath her?

_You're just as much of an idiot as he is, then_, a voice that sounded like Jade chided her in her head. _Making friends with some moronic human scientist won't grant you escape, it will only grant swift death for the both of you. Get a grip, baby sister._

Artemis clenched her jaw, her fingers curling into fists by her sides.

"Okay."

He would be an escape for her, that was all. Risks be damned.

"Really?" Wally asked, a smile forming on his mouth. The brightness of it should have turned her away, but instead it drew her in like a moth to flame, and before she could second-guess herself she was stepping over his threshold as he moved aside to grant her entry. "Great!" he said, closing the door behind them with a click that made her ears twitch. "Food is the best medicine, Artemis."

"Is it?" the blonde asked vaguely, distracted by everything. The room was exactly as she had last seen it; same placements, same pictures and plaques, same discarded pair of sneakers near the coffee table. Same sense that he was a complete and total _dork_.

The only thing that had changed was a smattering of papers, a laptop, and some books scattered across the surface of said coffee table. Wally noticed her line of sight.

"Work research," he informed her, entirely too happy about it, his freckles spraying upward. Artemis felt her brow crease with intense worry for his sanity.

And her own.

"You seem… oddly happy about that," she mused.

"Science always makes me happy," he answered immediately, waving for her to follow him towards the kitchen. Artemis felt strangely at ease as she walked behind him at a slower pace. Not even a few days ago she had spent a good thirty minutes perusing his place, taking in the sights without a care in the world while he had snored like a bear, sprawled out all over his carpet.

It felt so wrong to be here again, yet each step deeper into his abode made her feel like this was the rightest decision she'd ever made. This could become a place that was all hers; her father, the other werewolves, they wouldn't be able to touch her here. Her worries from earlier were baseless; no werewolves were trailing her, had no need. They were all occupied with matters at home, and she could come and go unnoticed now that the three stooges were no longer tailing her.

_This could work. _

At least for a little while.

"I can see that," Artemis said, bemused.

A loud growl emanating suddenly from Wally's stomach caught both their attention, causing him to clutch his abdomen and give her a very sheepish smile. Artemis raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, _definitely _burger time," he insisted, talking into his tiny kitchen. It was a quaint little alcove off from his living room, with a low table and two chairs, and a massive, expensive looking refrigerator that left her gaping.

"You keeping the whole _cow _in there?"

"Haha, no," Wally said, yanking the impressive freezer open to pull out a pack of pressed meat patties. "I just think my food should have the luxury suite before meeting my stomach acid."

Artemis snorted, rolling her eyes. "How thoughtful of you."

The moment the scientist cut the plastic wrap of the patties with a knife, Artemis could smell the raw meat and blood even in it's processed, frozen state; her mouth watered at the prospect of thawing them and sinking her teeth into them. She hadn't eaten in hours, and now more than ever before she wanted to groan in satisfaction at blood running along her taste buds and into her throat.

Her own stomach rumbled, possibly louder than Wally's had, and he shot her a smug, full toothed grin that had her hackles raising, shooting him a warning glare. He laughed, rummaging in his cabinet for two plates. He heated up two pans and dumped the entire pack of large patties onto the heating surfaces.

"I hope you're okay with beef, I know some people like turkey burgers better," Wally said conversationally, pressing a spatula against the meat.

"I'm _definitely _okay with beef," the blonde said just a little breathlessly, her nostrils flaring for full intake of the smell. "Beef is good."

Artemis came to stand beside him, watching the ice starting to melt and the smells releasing their full, tantalizing aroma. She kept her eyes trained on the pans, careful not to look at Wally because she was sure her eyes silver and dilated.

"Flip it," she insisted in her husky voice, startling the redhead. Wally frowned.

"I _just _put them on," he said, and his breath caught lowly when he caught her eyes, which she had given up trying to keep concealed from him in her urgency to get the meat flipped before it could ruin the raw, natural flavor of it.

She hoped his thoughts weren't too wild, hoped he could chalk it up to a trick of the light.

_Keep being as careless as this and your little 'retreat from pack society' won't last a moon, _the Jade voice hissed at her for a second time.

Artemis feinged a cough, turning her face for a moment and blinking rapidly to try and calm herself.

"Flip it, please," Artemis said more firmly after facing him with (hopfully) normal eyes. Wally hesitated but then obeyed, flipping one of the patties over. Blood was running into the pan, sizzling away, the side unfrozen and deliciously pink, with the barest sear of brown around the edges.

Perfect.

Artemis grabbed one of the plates and held out to him.

"That's great, put it on the plate," she said. Wally looked positively horrified, but he scooped it up and slid it onto her plate with his nose wrinkled very deeply, scrunching up the freckles that sprinkled across his nose. "Thanks."

"You, uh... sure like your meat rare, don't you?" Wally supplied with a light, very concerned laugh. She was aware of him watching her as she moved over to the table, placing the plate down with a soft thunk in front of one of the chairs. "I mean, that's cool and all but... damn, aren't you a little concerned about bacteria?"

"No," she said simply, grabbing a fork from the silverware drawer he pointed her to. "I've never gotten sick, so..."

"Well that doesn't mean it could _never _happen. E. coli is-"

"It's fine," she rasped, sitting down and proceeding to tear into the large patty. She tried to keep herself as reigned in as possible, but when it came down to it she didn't care if he stared at her like she was crazy, because the blood that gushed onto her tongue made her close her eyes in absolute bliss. She cut off section by section, wolfing it down like it might be the last meal she ever had. And by the time she was done, she was suddenly aware of a powerful burning smell assaulting her nostrils. The blonde glanced up, wiping some residual blood off her plump lips, and saw Wally gaping at her unabashedly. Smoke rose up in furls off of the pan behind his back. "You're burgers are burning."

"Wha—?" Wally asked dumbly. He turned and yelped. Artemis laughed.

"That's what you get for staring, fire head."

"I'm sorry, I just... " his face flushed. "Uh, yeah. _So_, maybe tell me a bit about yourself, Artemis?" he asked casually, after flipping his burgers over and averting the crisis. Artemis went rigid, and he must have seen it in the way her spine straightened considerably in the chair, because he immediately back pedaled, holding his palms up placatingly. "I mean, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to! I didn't ask you in here to make you feel like you're being, uh, interrogated or anything..." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Small talk. Artemis hadn't considered that social interaction when she'd convinced herself it would be okay to do this. It was a mark of how distant she tended to keep herself from others, but also a reminder of how delicate this situation really was for the both of them.

Artemis Crock was a private person, and spilling even the tiniest details to him sounded about as alluring as a visit to the hospital. One slip up and he would know. One slip up...

She looked down at her empty plate. She was still very hungry, but she was starting to wonder if now would be a good time to excuse herself.

The whole appeal of this place was that he knew nothing about her and that appeal was being jeopardized already.

Her fists clenched in her lap.

"Look, you're obviously a private person," Wally tried, flipping the patties one last time before turning to look at her again. She glanced up at him, trepidation in her furrowed brows, and he plowed on a little faster like he thought it best he get it out quick. "And that's cool, but how about we try this: my favorite colors are yellow and red. I can't even decide between them; it's like mustard and ketchup, ya know? They go so well together." He seemed to get dreamy at the prospect of the two condiments, and on a whim he walked over to his fridge and came back out with two bottles. "Ha, reminded me."

"You're something," Artemis deadpanned.

"Why thank you."

"Green."

"Huh?" Wally asked.

"Green is my favorite color. Like… dark green. Pine green, not that lime, neon crap that makes your eyes bleed."

"Yeah?"

Artemis nodded, and he smiled a bit, turning his back to work on dressing the buns for his burgers. Artemis felt something unfurl slightly in her chest; that wasn't so bad.

It was trivial, even, yet it felt nice to exchange such seemingly useless information with another individual. She could live with sharing a few of her personal quirks with Wally West, just as long as he didn't start sticking his nose into darker territory.

She let her guard lower a bit, but by no means did she let it crumble.

"Now you ask me something. We can totally pass if things get too personal. Deal?" Wally said, at last walking over to settle himself at the table. He held two plates, one held three burgers and the other held two, and he sat down like it was a perfectly normal evening meal. He saw her eyeballing his plates. "I have an insane metabolism, okay?"

"I didn't say anything," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You were thinking it."

"Whatever. And deal," she added, then held out her plate. "If you give me one of your burgers. I'm still starving."

Wally stared at her like she'd just asked him to donate one of his vital internal organs. "Uh, you're joking, right?"

"No."

"Absolutely not!" Wally cried, pulling his plates closer to his body. "I have another pack in the freezer, I'll make you some more, uh, _rare _ones after a few rounds. How about that?"

"..._fine_," Artemis relented; only because the prospect of more raw meat was too good to pass up. Otherwise she would have taken serious issues with his greedy tendency and jutted her jaw out stubbornly until he'd relented. "So, Mr. Outrageous Metabolism: how old are you?"

"Ah, curious to see if I'm dateable?" West asked with his mouth, charmingly enough, full of food; there was a smear of ketchup on the corner of his lip. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

She sneered at him, crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

"You know, I can walk right out of here."

"Twenty-five," the redhead supplied, swallowing thickly. "And you?"

"Twenty-four," she answered promptly. She pursed her lips, wracking her brains for some sort of question that she herself would have no qualms answering; no matter how much she wanted to ask him why he really stopped to help her, or why he had such a disregard for his own safety, or why he had to take so much interest in stuff that wasn't his business, she knew that the best way to keep things with Wally away from treacherous waters was to ask simple things. "Favorite time of day?"

"Sunrise. I don't know, I just really like the colors… and the quiet. Er, well, as quiet as Gotham can be. I liked sunrises better back in Central," he confessed. Artemis raised her brows.

"You didn't grow up in Gotham?"

"Naw, I grew up in a rural place near Central City," Wally said, chomping down on the last few bites of his burger. Artemis blinked at the empty plates in a lack of comprehension.

"You ate all of those already!?" she exclaimed, eyeing the crumbs. To her shock, the scientist's face turned a light shade of pink beneath her scrutiny.

"Crazy metabolism, okay?" he grumbled, reaching across to grab her own plate as well as his. He carried them back over to the counter and dug another bag of burgers out of his freezer. "You want one or two more bloody slabs of beef?" He grinned.

"Three," she answered without hesitation. She normally wasn't such a hefty eater. She had no reservations or dainty tendencies when it came to her food consumption, but there was something about the full moon's cycle that left her entire body weary and her stomach crying out for constant nourishment. Paula had taken to keeping steaks in abundance in the freezer.

"Right. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you just asked me three questions in a row, Artemis," he said casually, flopping the entire contents of the pre-packaged meat into the pan. "Sooo…

"Just ask," she mused, leaning back in her chair. He laughed lightly, freckled hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck, where she could see the finest curling hairs at the peppered nape.

"Do you like science?" he murmured, and the sizzling of the burgers as he turned them was not nearly enough to fool her keen ears. She smirked, her thoughts once again jumping to some of the documents and posters and plaques she had seen around his house that had easily keyed her into his clearly unhealthy obsession with science.

"As a matter of fact, I do, fire head," she answered, leaning forward to take the plate of very raw patties he brought to her. His own continued to cook at a much slower pace in the pan, which in her opinion only served to ruin the flavor. It wasn't that she hated cooked foods, it was just that they tasted so much better in their more natural state. "I'm particularly interested in Tetragametic chimerism and the study of cross-biological organisms and their implications on underlying biological systems."

The face that Wally gave her after that little tidbit of information was nothing short of nerdy and hysterical. It was like he was simultaneously impressed, shocked, and ecstatic. He laughed, and the sound came out with an excited and high-pitched wheeze at the tail end of it. He dropped his spatula on the counter near the still-cooking food and strode towards her at an alarming pace, making her whole body go into alert mode immediately. She tensed and leaned back marginally in her chair, eyeballing the hand he held out near her face.

It was all she could do not to grab it and twist it behind his back faster than he could blink.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her hackles raising a bit. Perhaps she was letting herself get _too _comfortable _too _fast...

"I'm gonna show you something only a fellow scientist can appreciate."

Artemis wrinkled her nose, scrutinizing his hand. "I'm not a science _geek_, I just have a strong interest in certain fields of it." The she-wolf persisted, letting her body relax a margin. Wally didn't seem deterred, or even convinced that she wasn't at the same level of science worshipping he was.

Green eyes flicking to her tense posture, he let out a sigh, his face morphing into one of smug superiority as he leaned with one hand on the table. Artemis eyed him.

"Do you like science?" he asked calmly.

"I already told you—!"

"Do you, therefore, like to see science done? In real time?"

"Yes…"

"Do you have any experience in or around laboratories or laboratory equipment? If not, would you be interested in learning?"

"You sound like a goddamn job application. What are you getting at, Wally?" Artemis hissed.

"Answer the questions, my good woman," he said sweetly, not perturbed by her in the least. She rolled her eyes violently.

"Ugh, yes! Yes I would like to be around lab equipment or whatever it is you're asking!"

_Just as long as _I'm _not the one being poked and prodded by said lab equipment…_ she thought.

Wally West's face split into a wide grin.

"Well then, do I have a surprise for you! Might I direct your attention to the one room in my apartment that I'm pretty sure you didn't snoop in while I was asleep…"


	7. Decision

**Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Sorry for the slightly late-ish update. Also for the short chapter. But this is part of why I've decided to start updating twice a week, because some of these chapters will be shorter than others and it's only fair. **

**Reviews sustain my life force; sustain meeeeee! **

**Tally ho!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 1,932 words**

**o.o.o.o**

It turned out that Wally West had a home lab on the opposite side of his kitchen.

It looked like a room that had originally been meant to house a dryer and washing machine, but it appeared the redhead had decided sacrificing the devices for his test tubes and beakers was far more than acceptable.

It was no small wonder his hamper had been so full of dirty clothes the morning she left his apartment.

He had showed her the place like a reverent child, and Artemis had to admit she was pretty damn impressed.

He had the works; a bunsen burner, beakers, a scale, a distiller, a cabinet she was pretty sure was full of very dangerous chemicals that weren't supposed to be allowed anywhere outside of a science lab. There was also shockingly enough a small window in the room, and Wally had wedged in a fan nearly the same size inside of it in order to filter out any harmful fumes while he experimented.

"Have you ever had the cops called on you?" Artemis just had to ask. Wally scoffed not very convincingly.

"Never! I know proper conduct around this stuff."

"Right… why don't I believe you?"

It also turned out that the scientist had a day job involving pharmaceuticals of all things. Artemis couldn't keep her interest from piquing at that fact…

Pharmaceuticals. Drugs. As in medicine, things that made people better from illnesses. _Vaccines. Cures._

"That's interesting," Artemis murmured to herself, letting one of her palms run absently along the clean surfaced lab table. She splayed her fingers out on it, her mind running a marathon. What kind of luck should bring her to a man that had access to this particular branch of science?

Science that could, _theoretically_, if she so chose to allow it to, fix her... ailment.

Artemis had dreamed about it before. Dreamed about some how shedding the wolf's skin and just being… _normal_. Going somewhere safe and away from the pack with her mother, adjusting to a human life with no murder, no deceit, no scents, no full moon, no pack leader…

Just her own life.

And it wasn't that Artemis hated being a werewolf even. It had it's perks, but it came at the cost of living the way she did, and she had no desire for that kind of life anymore. Her father had been trying to bend her to his ways since she was a pup, and she was tired of the constant fighting of it.

Wally West could end it.

_If he could even know about it_, Artemis laughed bitterly in her mind, her hand falling off the table. And even if he could know about it, what made her so sure he'd be willing to risk his life, his job, his time on trying to help a wolf girl he barely even knew?

"Artemis?" Wally asked, and she realized she'd been silently pondering this entire time. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it, and cast him a weak smile.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. This is pretty fascinating… can you tell me what kinds of drugs you work around?"

Wally West's face split into a wide grin.

Artemis felt her heart clench.

**o.o.o.o**

"Mom, I'm back," Artemis called loudly, shutting the door to their dingy apartment as softly as she could. The hall was aglow with soft light, and she could hear the murmurs of voices issuing from the tv.

The smell of something cooking had the blonde altering her course to the kitchen rather than the living room, and sure enough Paula Crock was heating herself some leftovers in a pot on the stove.

"Something smells good." Kind of a lie.

"Artemis, you are home late," Paula said, turning to face her daughter. Artemis furrowed her brows, letting her gray eyes flick to the clock. She had been at Wally's for nearly the entire day; it was already 7 o'clock in the evening. "I waited as long as I could, but I couldn't say no to heating up some leftover soup when you did not show up."

Artemis felt guilty; the only consolation was that her mother had not gone through the trouble of preparing her any food. She was pretty sure she was going to hurl if she even thought about food. Wally West made very good use of that ridiculous fridge of his, and she was pretty sure he could keep enough food in there to feed an entire army.

That, or a man with a very fast metabolism and a famished werewolf.

"Sorry, I got… uh, distracted."

"Oh yes," Paula hummed, stirring her soup. "You returned the Wally man's clothes?" The woman eyed her daughter expectantly, and Artemis rolled her eyes to the splotched old ceiling.

"Yeah. That's kind of where I've been. All day."

Paula's eyes widened with curiosity, and the spoon paused in it's meticulous stirring of soup.

_Here we go._

"You spent your entire day there?" Paula inquired, setting her soup bowl down on the counter. Artemis grimaced; she could see exactly what was running through her mother's mind just by looking at her eyes, and it was enough to make her wish she could suck her own words back up into her mouth.

"Don't get any ideas, _mom_," Artemis said, pulling a chair out with an earsplitting squeal and plopping herself down in it. "We just… talked about some stuff. Turns out he's this huge science geek and I was pretty interested in what he had to say about it. End of story, here I am." She crossed her arms.

"I see," the dark woman said slowly, wheeling herself and her soup to the table as well. Artemis got back up to prepare her mother a drink. "Well, did you enjoy yourself then?"

That gave Artemis pause. She stood with the refrigerator wide open before her, staring blankly at it's contents while she processed her mother's innocent question.

From the moment she had arrived on Wally's doorstep Artemis had been so at war with herself, fighting against that one small half of her that could see Wally becoming a, dare she say it, _friend_. A normal human being that she could escape to when she needed, if only to try and pretend she was just a human too.

She knew there were risks not only to herself but to him; she could not bear the thought of any harm coming to him, especially not after all he had done for her, even if she thought him rather stupid for doing it.

But the one thing that was standing out in her mind right now was his friendly welcome of her. The way he had fed her despite her strange appetite and had not bombarded her with questions about it; the way he was so childishly enthusiastic about science.

But most importantly, it was the fact that Artemis had completely forgotten about her worries once they had started talking about science. When Wally West had started prattling off about his job, his lab, the drugs, experiments he had done, fire alarms he had accidentally set off, experiments he could show her in the future… she had been so at ease. She had talked and laughed and wondered right back at him, and it had just felt so nice.

She'd never felt so happy. So much like she'd had a _friend_.

Artemis grabbed a jug of cold tea from the fridge. Her mouth opened and closed silently as she struggled for her words. She let out a breath, shrugged, and smiled a little to herself.

"I did, actually. I really did."

"That's wonderful, Artemis," Paula said, grinning at her daughter as she placed a cup of tea before her.

"I guess," the blonde admitted, sitting herself back down. She stared thoughtfully at her mother's steaming bowl of soup, imagining she could see vague shapes unfurling in the fumes rising up from it. She chewed hard on her bottom lip, felt an old crack bust back open to spill metallic flavor into her mouth.

"Are you alright?" Paula asked after a while.

Artemis sighed heavily, jumping back to her feet again. It wasn't like her to be so antsy, but the decision she was making could be one that made or broke her life as well as Wally's. Yet something deep inside of her told her she already knew the decision she was going to come to, even if she thought there was still a war being waged in her mind between the two options.

Still, she decided to indulge herself to her mother.

"I want to see him again," she blurted out, tossing her long mane of hair back over her shoulder tetchily. She rounded on her mother, pointing a stern finger at her. "And before you get any ideas it's not like _that_. It's just… he's so _nice_. The kind of nice that gets you in _trouble_. He's _stupid _nice. And when he talks about science it draws me in like a lecture would and I just know he's right about it all, he knows his shit. I felt so at _relaxed _there, listening to him and talking. I… I was away from all _this_," she made a grand gesture towards the window she could see in their living room, encompassing the entire werewolf controlled area of the city that lied beyond. "I was away, and I just thought maybe I could at least _use _him for an escape from time to time. Is that wrong of me?"

Paula Crock studied her daughter for a long time, standing there breathing a little heavily from her rushed words, her brows furrowed worriedly. She had never seen her daughter so worked up over an individual, not even the humans she secretly aided in their war against werewolves.

Clearly, this was a big deal, and Paula was smart enough to know exactly what her daughter both wanted and needed to do.

She gave Artemis a smile.

"Of course it's not, my dearest daughter. I think it would do you a world of good to take this Wally West as a… source of enrichment outside of werewolf territory."

Artemis snorted. "Nice way of putting that, mom."

"Well I thought saying friend would send you into a frenzy so I backtracked," she conceded, sipping more soup from her spoon. "But no, I do not think it is wrong of you. I am happy for you, and think you should see him more, if that's what your heart is telling you to do."

"My _brain _is telling me I could get the both of us killed…" Artemis murmured, pressing her chin against the table. "Ugh!" she bemoaned, covering her head with her hands.

Paula stretched across the table and patted her offspring's arm. "I think I can see in your eyes that a relationship with this man is worth the risk. You just need to admit it to yourself. You know the precautions you can take to keep other wolves off your trail, you're smart. Do not let your father win, go out there and do what you think is best for _you_. Just like you've always done."

Artemis looked up at her, her lips pursed, fingers drumming on the table. By the time Paula had finished her meal Artemis seemed to have come to a decision. She got up from her chair, strided over to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, mom," she said, taking the empty bowl and putting it in the sink for her.


	8. Golden

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Sorry for the delay.**

**Have some Bart.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 6,703 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Wally West was on lunch break.

When the redhead had first started working at the lab, he had always gotten the most scrutinizing looks when his fellow employees saw the heaps of food he regularly hauled in. It astonished everyone that he could find a way to stash a triple decker sandwich for break, or somehow have 3 extra large pizzas delivered by the exact moment he was due to the break room.

Then proceed to scarf down all three by himself.

By now, however, everyone was largely used to his unusual eating tendencies, and Wally was able to enjoy his meals in relative peace without having to answer the questions about how or why he ate so damn much. He couldn't even explain it himself anyway, he was just always super hungry no matter what he ate and he had chalked it up to a super crazy metabolism that couldn't be controlled.

"It's genetic," he'd said through a mouthful of loaded baked potato from Bibbo's one day. "I think. "

And that was the explanation he stuck with.

Today's lunch was several cheeseburgers from Bibbo's of course. Wally had bought them the previous day and had no qualms about reheating them.

He'd been far too chipper at work today, thinking up so many more scientific things he could share with Artemis if she so chose to visit him again. He tried not to let himself get _too _hopeful about it, but something about sharing stuff about himself, as well as hearing about her, had made the last two days very nice ones for the redhead.

So it was with a content air and thoughts of a mysterious blonde that Wally entered the break room with his lunch bag in tow. He immediately registered the sounds of a commotion within as his plams pressed against the doors.

"Woah, man, I'm so sorry! I am _so _not moded today."

Oh boy. Wally felt his eyes roll to the ceiling for guidance.

He loved his cousin dearly but the kid was even klutzier than he was. It seemed like every other day Bart Allen was causing a disaster in one of the departments where he was interning. Wally was surprised he hadn't been banned from ever touching anything again with the very large record he had of breaking expensive equipment. Bart was just too hyper for his own good.

Fully pushing his way inside, Wally saw Bart frantically trying to grab for some paper towels to help the man he had obviously just bumped into and dumped coke all over. The guy was big, bald, and livid, so Wally promptly deposited his food on the nearest empty table and ran to his cousin's rescue.

"Bart!" he called to the brunette, sidestepping a table. Bart looked up at him with pleading eyes, his fingers fumbling over the napkins. The unfortunate victim, a guy Wally recognized as a fellow scientist named Greg, looked over as well, face slightly red.

"West!" he barked, jerking the napkins from Bart's hands and pressing them against his previously white shirt. "Come get your cousin in line!"

Wally skidded to his cousin's side, putting an arm around his shoulders and starting to steer him away. He gave Greg a cheesy smirk, pushing Bart by the shoulders so that he stumbled over to a table with a yelp.

"Sorry about your shirt, I'm sure it was just an accident, you know how he is! I'll keep an eye on him, have a good day, Greg!"

Greg mumbled something murderously to himself, but Wally was already moving away from the disgruntled man. Bart slumped at the table where Wally had deposited his burgers, and the poor kid looked so dejected that Wally, with a major sigh, slid one of the greasy wax papered sandwiches to him. That immediately lit his demeanor up.

"Hey, thanks cuz! You never share, lucky me," he chirped, folding the paper down and taking a bite.

"You looked like a kicked puppy, it ruins my appetite," Wally said, situating himself in the chair next to Bart."You really need to get a handle on yourself before you get strangled by someone, you know that right?"

"M'sorry!" Bart exclaimed through his food. "S'just sometimes my brain thinks faster than my body can move!"

Wally thumped his back, smirking.

"So you say, kid. You just had to follow me when I tried to get away from you, didn't you?"

"You're just my favorite cuz, I had too!" Bart crooned, flakes of burger bun spraying onto the table from his laughter. "Besides, I think Barry was glad to have me out of his hair for a while."

"I bet he cried when you left," the redhead retorted, popping his own can of soda from home. He eyed Bart, sliding the drink farther away from his elbow to prevent a repeat of what had just happened. "Seriously."

"No, Wally, you should have seen him after you told him your were leaving for Star Labs in Gotham. He was an absolute _wreck_— HEY, hey hey hey turn that up!" Bart exclaimed on a sudden impulse, startling Wally. The brunette was gesturing very frantically at the tv suspended in one corner of the room, which was currently displaying some news on a murder. Wally took one look at the headline slapped across the screen and snorted viciously, going back to his sandwich while Bart scrambled to jog across the room. He jumped up several times to reach the volume button.

"—third murder in the past week and a half. Much like the other two murders, the victim was found on the outskirts of the slums, and appeared to have been mauled by a dog. Authorities say several witnesses claim they saw very large animals resembling wolves in the area around the time of the murder. Could these be the so-called 'werewolves' that so many Gothamites have been outcrying about?"

"Oh _please_," Wally spat as Bart rejoined him, looking enthralled by the story. "_Werewolves_. What is wrong with people? That's _highly _illogical, about as dumb as magic!"

"I don't know," Bart said, eyes glued to the tv set. "All the signs—"

"Signs!?" Wally interjected, putting his burger down. He ignored the several groans that reached his ears from the other people in the break room; all of them knew Wally West's very vocal feelings on how stupid the idea of werewolves was. "What signs! The only thing being pointed to is feral dogs on the loose, not like it's never happened before."

"But it's all just too weird! Maybe you should see the website, it'll convince you tha—"

"There's a _website_," Wally choked, nearly spitting out coke. Bart was buzzing with a kind of excitement as he reached for the bag he had deposited beside his chair. He dug around inside of it, causing crumpled protein bar wrappers and discarded sheets of notebook paper to tumble to the floor around him. Wally watched him with worry; his cousin was about to go off the deep end with this wolf crap if he was visiting websites about freaking lycanthropy.

A _fictional _illness, Wally would like to stress. It would be one thing if Bart was interested in them for fun, but as he whipped out his tablet and found the website in his favourites, Wally suspected he was fully on the crazy train. He thrust the device in Wally's face, pointing to the webpage with it's pulsing red words and black background. A picture of a wolf head silhouetted by the moon stood as the websites banner, proclaiming in loud neon green text that the website was known as "The Werewolves of Gotham".

"See?" Bart said, scooting his chair closer so they could both peer at the device. "My friend Jaime showed me this place, it's all about the murders in the slums and dedicated to 'spreading the awareness of the werewolves of Gotham City'. There's topics on every single one of them, all of them comparing the evidence! And then there's just all this general information on werewolves, and it's just all so crash! Uh, y'know, for something so obviously illogical, I mean."

Wally bit his tongue and humoured the guy, watching him click on topics willynilly, his green eyes scanning over words here and there. It mostly looked like it was the kind of site that would be full of edgy teenagers that were into vampires and werewolves and gargoyles. In fact Wally wouldn't have been surprised if this place were some sort of social hub for the edgy teen underground of Gotham.

"Oh, here's one of my favorite topics, the signs of a werewolf," Bart said, clicking and pointing to the list. "I'm thinking of pulling one off this Halloween," he added, laughing.

"Oh, _come on_," Wally groaned, but read the list off none-the-less. "Hairier than normal humans? 'Beastly' iris color when angry; whatever the hell _that _means! Mysteriously absent during the full moon? Sharp canines? Circle the bed several times before lying down to sleep? Bury bones in the back yard? Allergic to salt? Who wrote this crap?"

"Okay, so some of it's a little off the charts, but me? I personally think werewolves are from the _future_," Bart said sagely, nodding his head several times. He looked at Wally with a maniacal grin after that statement though, which gave Wally's incoming cardiac arrest cause for pause. It was good to know that Bart was still able to have a sense of humour about the asinine accusations. He thumbed through another forum and found a thread titled "Werewolf Sightings- share your accounts!" and the thing had well over fifty pages. "This one has videos!"

Wally sighed, glancing at his wrist watch. Fifteen minutes left of lunch; time to start shoving cheeseburgers down his throat while Bart showed him what would no doubt be grainy videos and blurred pictures. Dinner and show, at least.

Bart found the first video and clicked the play button. It was, of course, grainy, as if it had been shot from a dingy old cell phone. There was botched sound as the holder and his friends laughed loudly in front of an apartment complex Wally realized he had seen multiple times, because it was across the street from Bibbo's. The kids appeared to be mildly intoxicated, one of the guys even yelling across the street to harass a female on the other side. Then, suddenly, a loud scream could be heard from the distance, followed by what sounded like the deep, harsh growl of an animal. Every single one of the young adults stopped to look into the darkness of the slums. Another scream sounded, followed by glass breaking, then a second later something large and gray looking darted from one alley to another so quickly it was impossible to make out. It jolted the group into screams, and the video ended right as they turned to run in fear.

"It was a dog, probably set loose by a criminal," Wally reasoned through a mouthful of beef. "That explains the growling and screaming."

The video was followed by comments like "Wow!", "So totally a werewolf, look at the size of that thing!", "It was probably hunting for hearts, they always eat the hearts of their victims", and "Nice video skillz, dude, lrn 2 hold the camera rite, no wunder no one blieves us when tihs shit's all blured".

"Or maybe no one believes you because you're all psychotic?" Wally suggested sweetly as his cousin scrolled to the end of the first page and went to the next. There, he found a post full of blurry as hell pictures, just as Wally had anticipated. He was pretty damn positive some of the photos were of the guy's own dog in his backyard, still others looked photoshopped, and the last one was a mocked up computerized and shopped up photo of a girl on the street with a wolf head. Wally almost lost his lunch.

Page after page, another grainy video, some more blurred pictures. Wally had lost any sort of interest ages ago, but there was a picture on the tenth page that caught his interest. He tapped Bart's shoulder and told him to scroll back up for a second.

There was a picture of a dog. Well, it looked like a giant version of a huskie or some other wolf-like breed. As per requirement the photo was barely legible, but it was plain enough that it was a larger than average canine. It looked to be in the motion of moving it's head away from whoever took the photo, so little of it's face could be seen, but what captured Wally's attention was the obvious golden color of it's long fur. Even in the picture it stood out, vaguely reminding him of something.

The text below the photo was rather interesting, a far cry from the usual blathering accounts. It read, "This weird looking dog helped me find a hurt friend of mine about a week ago. It was the strangest thing, it just found me and started tugging on my shirt, I was pretty alarmed at first but then I realized it wanted me to follow it. It kind of stayed out of my reach the whole time, and I wanted a picture of it because it was just such a gorgeous looking wolf-dog as far as I could make out, but the damn thing kind of flitted in and out of building shadows. It took me to an alley near some old abandoned apartments and I found my friend there, needing some help (I'll keep the details to myself for security reasons; the slums are a dangerous place, you all understand). I couldn't believe some random animal just _knew _that I was the one to come get. Animals are amazing. Or, as it could be, _werewolves _are amazing. I guess this means they're not all vicious monsters like in the stories, hmm? Have a good evening, all."

Wally's brows furrowed as he observed the photo for several long moments. He was in a sort of trance when the screen went abruptly black, causing him to jolt back into reality. Bart was bending over, packing his tablet back up. Wally checked his watch, eyes widening.

"Shit, don't want to be late back to shift again!" he yelped, shoving the last of his burger into his mouth. "Nice talking to you Bart, stay out of trouble and stay off that crazy forum!" he said, packing up his own things. "I'm already losing Dick to the masses, I can't lose my own blood, too!"

Yet, that last picture and the story attached to it plagued the redhead's mind for the rest of his evening.

**o.o.o.o**

**Dick:**

_Hey have you watched the news today?_

That was the text that Wally found when he finally managed to yank his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. He squinted at the text, covering the screen with his hand to try and block out the waning sun.

It was from Dick, of course; who else knew his schedule well enough to text him at the exact moment of his departure from the labs?

**Wallman:**

_A little during lunch break. Why? _

Wally shrugged his bag up higher onto his shoulder. He pressed his cell phone back into his pocket long enough to roll the sleeves of his shirt up the elbow, and sure enough by the time he'd situated himself and set off at a brisk pace for home he was receiving yet another vibration.

**Dick:**

_That happened this morning. We've had two more victims reported since then. This whole thing is getting out of control._

Wally frowned. Two more murders? He had a very deep feeling that both of them had been animal related maulings as well. The redhead had almost forgotten what it was like to hear of a murder or accident that _didn't _involve something with teeth. In a morbid way it sort of made him miss the few murders over drugs and domestic issues that occasionally popped up back in Central.

Yeah, it was that bad.

**Wallman:**

_Damn, rough day, huh?_

**Dick:**

_Pretty much. One of the victims survived, but they're in critical condition at the GCH_.

**Wallman:**

_That's great! Well, not the critical condition part, but maybe if they wake up they can finally put a stop to all these werewolf rumours!_

**Dick:**

_OR they could prove the rumours right and the police force can really get somewhere about it. Just a thought._

Wally groaned aloud.

It wasn't bad enough that Bart had bothered him with a werewolf website at work today, but now he was going to get into another argument about the impossible existence of the creatures with Dick again? It seemed here lately that at least once a week their text conversations consisted of the worn topic in some form or other.

Wally supposed it was rather inevitable when Dick was right in the center of it all; it was enough to drive most men to believe the werewolf rumour was true if only for an explanation to so many unresolved murders.

Not Wally West though. No way, no how. Men could not turn into beastial humanoid wolves, that just did not happen except for in novels and really, really awesome old movies.

**Wallman:**

_How about we change the subject? Bart's already shoved werewolves down my throat today_, the redhead typed.

**Dick:**

_Fine. Have you had any more contact with Artemis?_

That gave Wally pause. Right there in the middle of the busy Gotham sidewalk. He was nearly knocked onto the rough concrete by a very impatient man in a suit, then cussed out with the most colorful language he'd ever heard from a teenage girl who looked to be on her way home from some after school activity. Yeesh, kids these days had terrible mouths.

Wally muttered hasty apologies and scrambled to compose himself, blending himself into the homeward traffic once more. He read the text Dick had sent him again, and bit at his lip in uncertainty. He remembered how the man had reacted to the news of Artemis the very first time Wally had met her, how he had warned Wally to be cautious around her, that he shouldn't associate with her anymore and that if he did he should notify him about her.

Wally couldn't do that, he had no idea what Dick even planned to do about her; take her down the station and interrogate her for a crime he thought she might be involved in?

He could imagine how well _that _would go, considering how adamant the blonde had been to avoid even the ambulance.

Wally didn't care what Dick thought, it was pretty clear to him that Artemis was not a criminal, reserved as she might be about some things.

So what if he'd found her shot and bleeding in a Gotham slum… that didn't mean anything, she was probably an innocent victim; Dick should know that, he'd seen it again and again, innocent people gunned down in the street because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

**Wallman:**

_Uh, not as of yet, no._

Wally felt only minor guilt for the small lie. The redhead figured it was in Dick's best interest not to have his stress level skyrocket because his best friend was seeing the woman he thought might be involved in some sort of gang war or crime.

**Dick:**

_You say that as if you're planning to._

"Shit," Wally breathed.

**Wallman:**

_I so am not, how did you get that from a text confirming that I in fact have not seen Artemis a third time? _

**Dick:**

_A third time?!_

Wally let out a frustrated groan and slammed his palm into his forehead to hard it hurt. How was it that his inability to properly filter his big mouth also bled into his written word?

**Wallman:**

_Second. I meant second!_

**Dick:**

_Dude, you really need to work on your communication skills, Kid Flash._

**Wallman:**

_My communication skills are in fine condition, Troll Wonder! _

Back when they were attending college together they'd called each other by those names quite frequently. Dick had been, and still very much was, the world's biggest troll Wally had ever had the misfortune of becoming best pals with. He had always been hacking into school systems without getting caught, and dragging Wally _unwillingly _into trouble.

Wally on the other hand had procured his nickname from his more amazing and impressive attributes, like his star status as the fastest man to run for the Gotham University track team in over three decades. Then of course, as Dick always reminded him, the name also foretold of the redhead's tendency to blab excessively and get himself into trouble.

Kind of like he was doing right now.

**Dick:**

_Are you with her right now? You were supposed to let me know if you saw her again, she could be involved with something for all either of us know._

Sometimes Wally really wanted to strangle his best pal. He supposed it came from years of living with Bruce, or just from being a cop, but the man had a great way of tending to jump straight to the worst (and unfortunately usually correct) conclusions.

Except in this case he was mostly wrong because Wally wasn't with anyone but angry people on the street.

**Wallman:**

_No, I'm on my way home from work dude, einstein, what are you, my mom?_

**Dick:**

_No, but I am your best friend who happens to also be a po-po. I'm just looking out for you._

**Wallman:**

_And I appreciate that, but I can look out for myself. Besides, Artemis isn't dangerous, she's just... a little reserved. And kind of hostile. And stubborn. But she's actually kind of cool if you choose the right topic; science for instance, and feeding her. That worked great._

**Dick:**

_Oh no._

**Wallman:**

_...what now?_

**Dick:**

_Hostile? Food and science appreciation? Aren't those last two very important qualities to the Wally West dating resumé? Are you trying to score, Wall-man?"_

Wally's face flushed crimson; he could practically imagine the huge shit-eating grin spreading across Dick's face right at that exact moment. With Barbara probably hovering right over his shoulder, reading the text while both of them had a good laugh at his expense.

Wally furiously mashed a response back, nearly walking himself straight into a pole in his frustration. It was so totally none of Dick's business who Wally thought about getting himself romantically involved in, or what qualities he looked for!

Not that he was even thinking about Artemis that way. He barely even knew her!

**Wallman:**

_NO! What!? That is so not... what!?_

**Dick:**

_Wally, I know you, we went to college together remember?_

**Wallman:**

_I remember you dated like twenty girls to my every one!_

**Dick:**

_That's not even relevant to this conversation_.

**Wallman:**

_And neither are the girls I dated in college, or the traits they may or may not have had!_

**Dick:**

_Fine, fine, just let me know when you show her your home lab, cause I'll really know you're in trouble then._

**Wallman:**

_Uh… _

**Dick:**

_You didn't._

**Wallman:**

_She likes science okay! And not just the textbook stuff from highschool, so I got excited and I showed her the lab. How is that a crime?_

**Dick:**

_It's not, but now I'm just hoping you haven't already given her a key to your apartment, too_.

**Wallman:**

_Yeah right, Dick, I just ran right out and had a key made for her! You caught me!_

_Better send the whole squad out here she's got a knife._

_Oh god Dick she's advancing toward me._

_Dick send the police stop eating donuts and get your shit together._

_It's too late I'm dead, thought you'd like to know._

_Alas, if only I had listened to my best bud's advice on love life *sigh*._

**Dick:**

_...are you done?_

**Wallman:**

_Only if you are._

**Dick:**

_Just get home already. And just promise you'll be careful around her at least, she's obviously been involved in something at the slums, innocent or not. I'd rather not see my best friend dragged into a world of gang violence._

**Wallman:**

_Fair enough, Dick, I'll be careful. But I'm standing by what I said earlier, I don't think she's dangerous. I think maybe she just needs a friend. Or a pizza. No wait, I'm the one that needs a pizza. So I'll talk to you later, bro?_

**Dick:**

_Definitely. _

With that, Wally snapped his phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket. His back was warm from the fading light and he was pretty sure he had stepped in a big wad of freshly spit gum. Yet he was feeling a little lighter as he walked down the last block and turned sharply into a pizza parlour for some well deserved dinner.

As Wally walked home with three piping hot boxes of freshly made pepperoni pizzas in tow, he couldn't help but ponder the text conversation.

On the one hand he was glad that Dick knew he had seen Artemis again and might possibly see her more (if she decided to grace him with her presence again, it was entirely on her), but on the other he felt embarrassed that the man automatically assumed he was going in for a score with her.

It wasn't like Wally hadn't noticed how very hot she was when she had been, you know, _naked _in his apartment that night, but that didn't mean he had the intention of getting to a point where he could jump her bones.

There was just something about her that intrigued him, and no matter how hard he tried he could not place his finger on it. He supposed it could just be part of the very bizarre way in which he'd met her; it wasn't really traditional to meet a girl by finding her nude and hurt out in the rain.

He _still _wondered what kind of woman got herself into a mess like that.

_And hey, she likes science so who knows what else we might have in common_, Wally reasoned with himself, munching away on a slice of pizza while he walked. A few passersby gave him looks when a big string of cheese remained attached to the crust and he moved his lips in the most comical ways to try and catch it before it could be lost to the sidewalk.

In his concentration to save the precious food, he nearly stepped on a woman's dog.

"Oh, shorry!" Wally yelped, cheese dangling against his chin. The woman looked affronted by his actions, and her dog barked roughly at the redhead causing him to skip back a step in surprise. He looked down at the animal, and nearly choked.

It was a golden furred huskie mix of some kind, easily the tips of it's pointed ears reached above Wally's belt buckle. It barked and gnashed its teeth one last time before the woman and her pet moved right along, leaving Wally with a mouthful of pizza and the memory of the blurred image of a startlingly golden furred wolf dog.

Wally stared blankly for some time where the dog and it's owner had disappeared into the throng, then shook his head, wiping the sauce from his chin with a backward swipe of his palm.

_I need to get home, where logic prevails_, he thought firmly, and picked up the pace.

**o.o.o.o**

When Wally West arrived at his home, he was carrying two empty pizza boxes and had to fumble for his keys with greasy fingers. His stomach was almost full and he had it in mind to either spend some time in his lab messing around with a few experiments he'd thought up, or else relax on the couch with his last box of cheese coated crust while he watched the Science Channel til bedtime.

No better way to spend the weekend, after all.

He pushed his door open after several curses from dropping the key. Upon shouldering it open the sound of soft speaking reached his ears, causing him to pause in the doorway and twist his head to the sound. The living room tv set was on a news station, which of fucking course was blabbing away about two mauling murder cases, no doubt the ones Dick had texted Wally about earlier.

And just when he was frowning to himself, trying to remember if he'd accidentally left the house with his TV still on, a very blonde something popped up over the back of the couch.

"Woah!" Wally cried, dropping his pizza boxes; for one heart-pounding moment he'd remembered the image of the blurry golden wolf and thought it was in his house.

Completely illogical of course, but his brain had been working at that particular mystery since Bart had showed it to him. He had wolves and dogs on the brain, much despite himself.

"Easy there, fire head," came a husky voice. It was Artemis Crock that was on his couch, her long blonde locks catching the waning light through his window in a very endearing way. He breathed a huge sigh of relief, mentally berating himself for panicking. Then he realized how out of place she was, and he looked around his apartment wildly.

"Artemis!? What… how did you get in my house?" he rasped. Einstein, he remembered vividly how Dick had teased him about giving her a key to his house, and that made him all the more concerned with her presence.

She rolled her eyes at him, standing up slowly. She jammed a thumb in the direction of a window in his living area, which held a fire escape outside of it.

"You left the window latch unlocked, calm down," Artemis said, smirking in amusement.

"Oh…" he said awkwardly. They looked at each other for a few seconds, before he cleared his throat and kneeled down to collect his thankfully spared third pizza box. "How long have you, uh, been waiting here?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, about an hour? I didn't know your schedule so I just dropped by and decided to wait."

"Oh," Wally said, smiling at her. His heart felt very light all of a sudden; Artemis had come back to his place for a third time. It seemed like a really good indication to him, that maybe she was interested in a friendship with him… or at least eating his food and talking about science with him. Wally wasn't really too picky about the details, he was just glad she was here again. "Well, if, uh, you keep coming here I might have to write that down for you. My schedule, that is."

"That would… be good," Artemis said, looking down at the ground. The redhead cleared his throat, popping the box open and showing her it's contents.

"Would you like a slice of pizza? It's kind of cold so… I wasn't gonna… eat it…" he trailed off, staring at the pieces left, his stomach gently reminding him that yeah, he still had a few spaces of empty air to fill up inside of his seemingly endless gut. Artemis obviously caught on to the reverent expression he was giving the food, and snorted a little.

"No thanks, I ate. How many boxes of those have you gone through?" she prodded, one hand on her hip while the other gestured to the two empty boxes still lying on the ground near the front door. Wally glanced at them with a sniff.

"Would you believe me if I lied and told you someone's dog ate my pizza?" he joked, making a noise of satisfaction as he bit into a lukewarm slice.

"I think in this town the only believable excuse would be a werewolf ate my pizza," Artemis responded. As soon as the sentence was out of her mouth, Wally nearly choked on his food with laughter, and the blonde went rigid in her body language, lips curling into a thin line as if she highly regretted making such a joke. Wally was confused by the reaction, but she unclenched her fists and let out an airy chuckle, swiping some of her hair over her shoulder. "Uh, sorry, that was…"

"That was hilarious, and so true," Wally interjected, his freckles spraying up with a smile. "Look, if there's one thing you need to know about me besides the food and the science, it's that this man doesn't do magic or mythical creatures except for in the classics, where they belong. So I'm not going to take offense at werewolf jokes."

Artemis locked her grey eyes on him, and the scientist felt as if he were being scanned for something very important. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze for a moment, but then her features shifted into what he would've called a wry sort of smile.

"So you _don't _think it's werewolves?" she asked in a tone Wally couldn't describe; it seemed almost happy, among other things. Maybe she hated the werewolf talk as much as he did and she was excited to have another like minded human being in her existence.

"Of course not. Werewolves are a myth, a story. I think it's ludicrous that people are even considering it as a viable option for murder, it's pretty insulting if you ask me," he said, wiping sauce off on his pants. Artemis wrinkled her nose at that.

"Yeah, you're right," the blonde agreed, moving over to nab the second to last slice of pizza from the box. Wally frowned deeply at her, grabbing the last one quickly as though he expected her to snatch that away from him too. "How can people be so… gullible. Imagine all the people that have had family members killed and get told by the masses that werewolves did it?" Her voiced cracked marginally, and her gaze shifted to him, her irises darker than usual. "You haven't had anyone… you know? ...Have you?"

It took him a moment to realize what she was asking, and he hastily swallowed to answer. "No, no, thank einstein. It's just me here in Gotham, I guess I've just been lucky."

Artemis became quite tense. "Good, and if you stay away from the slums you'll keep it that way. Just… stay away from the slums." Her fists clenched by her sides, her face contorted mildly like she was internally battling with herself. Then she laughed. "I mean, it's just, look what happened to me, being out there like that. Do yourself a favor, fire head."

Wally finished the last slice and threw the box to the floor with the others. He stared at Artemis with his brows furrowed, wondering what on earth she could possibly know about the slums; the tone in her voice suggested to him that she was almost intimately familiar with the area. In fact, until now he hadn't thought of the possibility that she could live somewhere in the slums herself, or at the very least have a relative there that she visited often; or… something worse. He could see the tv still playing right behind Artemis's bicep, and the news was doing it's recap now, showing a video of a shaky camera filming a body lying on the ground with a cover over it and blood smeared into the concrete.

And there, in the crowd as the camera panned over the angry and sad yells about rabid dogs and werewolves and a police force that needed to have it's hand held on the murder matters, Wally was sure he caught a glimpse of a blonde haired woman at the forefront of the crowd, her face quite distraught as she stared at the grisly scene.

And then Wally felt his heart clench.

Artemis _knew _something. She knew something about the slums, about the violence there. Or… no. No he couldn't entertain the idea that Dick was right about her, that she was involved in something so heinous as murder. Wally had only spoken with Artemis a total of three times, but there was something in her eyes that just told him there was no way she'd ever be involved in that level of crime.

But what if… what if she had? What if Artemis was a good person that had been caught up in some kind of mess bigger than either of them? What if she was stuck somewhere she couldn't get out, and she was trying to keep him safe by warning him away from the slums? It would certainly explain why Wally had found her that night, side grazed from a bullet and her body left in the alley to expire and rot.

He swallowed thickly, and his words came out in a rush to her.

"Artemis, I just want to let you know that you're welcome here any time you want," he said, catching her attention where it seemed to have strayed to his vibrant red hair while he was silent and thinking. Her gray eyes snapped back to his, her expression turning to confusion.

"Really?" she asked, hesitantly. "I mean, I came here because I wanted…" she trailed off, scrunching her face up. Wally was reminded of how she had seemed to swallow her pride to thank him the morning she left; he got the feeling she was swallowing either pride or something else that prevented her from expressing feelings. She sighed and gave in, even giving him a tiny smile that extended to just one end of her full lip. "I wanted to tell you I enjoyed our conversation the other day. And I'm very interested in your lab. So I thought maybe we could be… friends."

The word sounded foreign on her lips. It made Wally feel sad for her, if she was as lonely as she sounded. For all he knew he was misreading and she had a large group of loving friends and family, just all caught up in the wrong things. But he wanted to provide her with something outside of strife and misconduct. If that was indeed what was going on here. Wally could only ever guess, at least for now; he had no illusion that Artemis Crock would tell him anything about where she came from and who she knew. He had guessed that much from how tedious their game of twenty questions had been.

But he was just fine with that, he could deal. Maybe science could be a bridge between them, and maybe, just maybe in baby steps he could unravel her story.

He smiled deeply at her.

"Of course we can be!" he said happily, trying to lighten the situation a bit. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone with some enthusiasm, flipping it open and navigating to new contacts. "If you don't mind, you could give me your cell number, that way we could have some contact with each other outside of you, uh, sneaking in through my window when I'm not home."

Artemis stared at the device, her eyebrows coming together.

"I don't have a cell phone," she said, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"Who doesn't have a cell phone?" Wally squawked, indignantly. Seriously, he didn't know of anyone who didn't have a cell phone in this day and age. He looked wildly around his apartment, taking in the sight of precious technology and his various advanced science trophies and his degree on the wall, trying to assure himself he hadn't dropped into a time less advanced. He would never survive. Artemis caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him.

"People that have no need for one or can't afford one. Crazy, I know."

"Well… I'll get you kind that you buy at the store and activate, that should work," Wally said decisively. nodding.

"Mmm, I guess."

"Now, how about we grab some snacks and hang in the lab for a while? I know it sounds really weird but science relaxes me. I was just thinking on the way home it might be fun to test out some experimental ideas I have."

Artemis looked intrigued. "What kind of experiments?"

Wally grinned.


	9. Sister

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Some crude language and references to sex in this one, just an fyi. That tends to happen when a certain someone is involved though, doesn't it?**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 2,571 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis Crock had just finished taking a long and indulgent shower in her personal bathroom.

She rested on the sheets of her bed, letting her naked body air dry while she went through some of the messages she'd shared with Wally that day on her new cell phone. The object confused her a bit, but he had shown her the most important feature of it, and she already felt like she was on her way to being a texting pro.

For the last three weeks Artemis had found herself going to Wally's place as often as she could, so long as it didn't clash with any of her plans to spend the night scouring the neighborhood for humans in need.

Things had been going quite well for them. Better than she expected, in fact.

Artemis continued to find herself in a position of comfort in his apartment; the banter that passed back and forth so easily between them made her feel indescribable. There was something about teasing him, keeping him on his toes around her that made her feel a deep sense of satisfaction.

She could tell he had a bit of a bullshitter side to his personality, and well, Artemis Crock never did well putting up with anyone's horseshit.

"_I ran track in high school, you know," he mused one evening while they sat playing a game of cards at his kitchen table. He had placed a king sized bag of potato chips between them and his hand constantly dug into it, cramming the food into his eager mouth. "I was the star of the team. Fastest kid they'd seen in a few years." He nodded sagely, pausing to place a few of the cards from his hand and wave at her to proceed with her move. Her gray eyes scanned her cards with intense calculation as she listened to him. "I was pretty sure I had secret super powers, too."_

_Artemis snorted. "Do tell, fire head."_

"_No, I mean it's totally true, okay! I used to have these weird dreams about it."_

"_Did you take speed, perchance?" the blonde asked him sweetly, placing her own cards and grinning wickedly at the play. Wally scowled down at it, passing her a handful of crisps like they were poker chips. "Pretty sure that's illegal."_

"_Absolutely not! The West household was a drug free zone, Artemis. D.A.R.E!" he had proclaimed dramatically. Artemis raised her eyebrows at him. What on earth was he talking about? _

_He gave her an exasperated look. "You know, D.A.R.E? Drug Abuse Resistance Education? It was all the rage in grade school."_

"_Uh, no," Artemis had grumbled, avoiding his gaze. _

_She had never spent a day of her entire life inside of an education facility. Her only source of information had been through tv documentaries and books she was able to procure from the second-hand book store from time to time. Paula would bring her newspapers and magazines, and sometimes she'd go into Gotham proper to buy her educational movies. _

_She had never learned anything formerly outside of being taught to use her claws and teeth to their fullest extent when it came to survival._

"_Well, it was a thing," Wally said, moving the conversation along. "Anyway, so after I would have these dreams about being able to like, run around the world in 10 seconds, I started making these equations in my head," he started to laugh at the idea of it, spraying crumbs across the table surface. "I thought I could give myself superpowers, and then the girls would be all over me."_

_Artemis leaned back in her seat, grinning. "Oh yeah, nothing says date material like a guy that does _everything _faster than the speed of light," she hummed. "I'd be all over that, I mean, what girl _doesn't _want things to end fas_—_"_

"_Alright, alright, I get it!" Wally growled, his face flushing. Artemis laughed at him, taking another handful of chips. He dropped his cards on the table and crossed his arms. "Like the Wallman needed powers to get some anyway…" he grumbled very lowly to himself, but Artemis's sharp ears caught every word as plain as if he had whispered it to her. _

"_The Wallman, huh?" she taunted, dropping her own cards. "Oh, I can just imagine the _uniform_. What exactly were your powers in your dreams again? Blinding the competition with your undoubtedly pasty white legs?" _

"_Hey, my pasty legs were _sexy_," Wally defended loudly, his lip jutting out comically. Then he grinned and sang in the most ridiculous tone, "My pasty legs brought all the science nerds to the yard!"_

_Luckily enough Artemis had heard that song before, and immediately burst into a chorus of husky laughter that Wally joined in with._

It was sort of alarming how easily Wally could break past the first layer of the walls she'd so carefully crafted over the years.

She couldn't remember ever having such a lighthearted time with someone, and sometimes she had to remind herself that it was okay to joke and laugh with him instead of keeping it locked away. After all, she had made the decision to befriend him and to get that friendship she had to give back as well.

Every moment spent with him was a moment not in her silent-war torn part of town, and perhaps another day closer to getting her mitts on some of his lab materials and convincing him in some way that she had a…. condition he could help with.

Artemis cringed at even entertaining the idea of telling Wally that she was a werewolf. He didn't even believe in werewolves, and while she had at first found that a huge relief, now she realized it was just ten huge steps back from where she eventually needed to be with him if she wanted to get some sort of help out of him.

Nothing short of showing him her inner beast would get him to believe her, and there was no way in the coldest part of hell that she was ever going to do that.

'_You know exactly where the line is drawn, Artemis Crock'. _Her father's words echoed inside of her skull. '_You cross that line, put one toe over it? You'll be dead before you're thirty. Do I make myself clear?'_

Yeah, changing in front of Wally was _not _happening.

She had agreed with herself to try and make friends with him, not let him into her very private and very dangerous personal life. She was lucky that so far he had been very indulgent in his own life and not asked much about hers, but a small part of her knew that sooner or later he would be dissatisfied with telling her about his own life and he'd ask her about hers.

"Guess I'll have to start crafting myself a fake life then…" Artemis murmured to herself, pausing on a text from Wally that read, _"Have you ever had Chicken Whizees? I know that sounds so disgusting but I feel like I've died and gone to… died, whenever I eat some."_

She rolled her eyes affectionately at his refusal to say he'd died and gone to heaven. Dork. Damnit; already a familiar fondness for the dorky ass things he said?

Probably not good for her health, but definitely a good outlook on their tentatively growing friendship.

Artemis assumed anyway; she'd never had a friend before, so she wasn't sure what it felt like officially.

"Well, well, _someone _has certainly filled out," came a purr of a voice.

Artemis was on her feet in record timing, cursing herself inwardly for not having been listening to her surroundings. That was one of the first things Lawrence had taught his daughters: never stop listening. Never be vulnerable.

And, well, lying naked on the bed while being distracted by text messages certainly entered the realm of vulnerable.

"Jade," Artemis breathed in relief, dropping her defensive stance entirely.

Jade Nguyen was perched in the window gracefully, her eyes glowing gold in the dark. Her hair was as usual all over the place, an untamed mane that distinguished her greatly both as a human and as a wolf. The woman chuckled darkly, seating herself slowly on the sil and eyeing her sister with scrutiny.

"The one and only," she said, her eyes dropping to Artemis's bare stomach, zeroing in on the scar from her gunshot graze. "So I guess it's true, you _have _been getting yourself into trouble while I've been gone. Congratulations for following in big sis's footsteps!"

The blonde subconsciously clapped a hand over the spot, tracing her calloused thumb over the puckered scar tissue. It was still tender, and she nearly hissed at her own touch, dragging her digits away. She scowled at her sister, tossing her wet braided locks back over her shoulder before sitting down on the edge of her mattress.

"You've been talking to dad, haven't you?"

Jade grinned. "Oh, I may have dropped by for a lovely father/daughter chat with him. He's very upset with how his daughters have turned out, oh, what a shame," the ebony haired woman falsely lamented, examining her sharp nails. Then she bared her teeth at Artemis again, canines sharp and glinting. "You _have _heard about my latest source of amusement?"

Oh Fenrir, Artemis hardly wanted to know about the things Jade got herself into. Most of the pack couldn't be bothered to keep up with where she disappeared to all the time. Even the higher ups in the pack weren't bothered with anything she did so long as they kept getting news of humans being terrorized or assassinated by her.

The thought made bile rise in Artemis's throat, yet despite the very different paths they had taken she'd always have a pocket of love inside of her heart for her sister. She'd always secretly enjoyed Jades impromptu visits, and her crude sense of humour.

And she would _never _admit that out loud. _Ever_.

"Can't say that I have," Artemis eked out, scratching beneath her breast. "Leading human boys on?"

"Something like that," Jade crooned, sliding from the sill. She moved over to her old bed opposite Artemis and pushed some of her hair aside. "Please tell me you've had sex by now?" she asked abruptly, raising an eyebrow.

Artemis felt her face heat up mildly, but she sent her an annoyed look. "Of course I have. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with everything, dear sister! I assume you've had sex with other werewolves…"

Artemis was getting irritated. "Uh, yeah! Who the hell else would I be fucking?"

"Human boys. More specifically, _a _human boy," Jade said with a sultry voice, dragging the words out syllable-by-syllable. The blonde felt her eyes widen in something akin to shock. Affiliation with humans was at the top of the list of the most scandalous, frowned-upon things a pack member could do. Even though most werewolves indulged in sex with humans at some point, it was very common to fuck and run(or fuck and kill, to the most twisted), not stick around the same one for any length of time. Artemis couldn't imagine what would happen if word got out that the infamous Jade Nguyen had actually been spending her time getting in bed with the same human male over and over. _Settling down_, practically. "Don't look so offended by it!"

"I can't believe you," Artemis rasped, rubbing her bicep and glancing toward the door. She could almost imagine Lawrence bursting through with claws out and murder in his eyes. "You're actually in a long-term relationship with a human boy?"

"Oh, don't knock it til you've tried it, little sis," she insisted with a laugh. She shifted her attention to the cell phone that had just vibrated on Artemis's blanket. She gestured at the device. "Looks like you may already be ahead of me, though. I watched you for a bit there before I came in, I heard you laugh to yourself. How very unusual, you were never a very happy pup," Jade said sniffily, like she were a psychiatrist diagnosing her with something.

"There's hardly been anything in our lives worth being happy over," Artemis growled out, snatching the device up. "Oh, and way to be creepy, spying on your naked sister."

"We're werewolves, seeing people naked is in our life contract," she said matter-of-factly. It was true, though; changing one's body structure from something human sized to something the size of a small rhinoceros always resulted in clothing loss. By the time a werewolf hit puberty they were largely immune to any sort of embarrassment that might have normally come with having their body exposed to others. Artemis grunted in agreement, crossing her arms under her breasts. Jade went on. "Anyway, I'm willing to bet there's a human boy on the other end of that phone. Am I right or am I not?"

Artemis didn't answer, but that seemed to be enough for her sister. Jade cackled with mad glee, reminding her eerily of the Cheshire cat from the old Alice in Wonderland cartoon they'd both been fond of.

"I knew it! The pack males just weren't satisfying you so you had to go and try something a little more under the table. I'm so proud!"

"I'm not having sex with him!" the blonde growled indignantly. "He saved my damn life a few weeks ago, not that you care. And for your information I'm trying to make friends with him because—" Wait. She couldn't tell Jade that part. Shit. "Because I… uh…"

She really sucked with right on the spot lies.

"Sweet, naive Artemis," Jade said. "You don't have to make _friends _with human boys to get them to fuck you. They're the same as werewolves, just come on to them a bit and reach into their boxers. It works every time."

"You're _infuriating_," Artemis groaned, running her hands over her face in annoyance. "I'm just trying to make a friend outside of the pack, okay? I'm not looking for any human… nookie. I'm just _using _him to get away every now and again."

Was she convincing herself of that or Jade?

Jade scrutinized her. Clearly she saw her sister was telling the truth and shrugged, standing up and stretching her arms up to the ceiling.

"Your loss. But some helpful advice for when you inevitably wind up riding him in bed; use your teeth," she suggested smoothly, opening her mouth to press her tongue against her canines. She grinned after the gesture. "They go _wild _for that."

Artemis wrinkled her nose uncomfortably. "I'll uh… file that away. For never."

"Mm-hm," Jade hummed in disbelief, heading for the window. "Well, I just dropped in to congratulate you on pissing dad off. Keep it up! Have fun with your human boy toy. Remember to use a condom, don't get pregnant like I did. Have a good night, sister."

Artemis nearly choked on her own spit. She whirled around.

"YOU WHAT!?" she rasped in a high-pitched voice, but there was only warm air blowing in through the window, and her sister was gone from sight. She rushed to the square cut into the wall and stuck her head out, lending her senses to the wolf to spot her amongst the buildings.

But there was no sign of Jade. Artemis scowled into the night.

She was definitely adopted.

**o.o.o.o**

**Werewolves have a... complicated relationship with humans, I guess you could say. Or at least, within Lawrence's pack (and no this is not me confirming there are more packs coming in the story, sorry... and now that I've said that I wish I had made it so). **

**It's not unheard of for them to have kids by humans, but it's not something they go around flaunting at all. Lawrence is basically a filthy, gross hypocrite considering he knocked up Paula twice and lived with her as a husband for several years before basically ditching her.**

**Asshole alpha has asshole rules. No pack members get like... maimed for having sexual relations or kids with humans, but they do NOT garner much respect from it either. Thus that makes it kind of taboo, which is part of why Artemis is like woah about Jade; the other part being because it's JADE.**

**Like I said, it's hella complicated for them.**

**Thank you all my lovely turtle-ducks for your reviews, they keep me going! **


	10. Guide

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**So, lots of werewolf stuff in this chapter. Yay! My biggest regret with this fic is there was NOT as much actual werewolf action as I had originally anticipated. I suppose it all works out, but it's amazing how different this story ended up from my original plannings.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,614 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The slums of Gotham were largely silent. Most of the dilapidated buildings were dark, with a few lights dotting the skyline here and there. In the distance, skyscrapers rose as colossal pillars with miniscule fireflies caught within them, some flicking off as denizens in the city proper went to bed or closed up for the night.

Artemis watched them for a while, the pinpricks of light reflecting off her startling silver irises. She sat as still as a statue on one of the buildings closer to the end of the slums, testing the limits of her senses.

She could hear the faintest cars, the barking of a dog, the sound of someone throwing garbage into a can. She could smell the food being prepared for Bibbo's late night crowd, she could smell the disgusting and disorienting odor of car exhaust that dulled her olfactory facilities and forced her to snort out her nose.

Time to retreat back into the slums, where cars so rarely saw use that the air was much more tolerable; nothing destroyed a wolf's nose faster than car pollution.

As the golden furred Artemis moved across buildings toward the center of the territory, her fur bristled in protest of the muggy air that tore it's invisible claws through her. Even this late at night Gotham was unbearably stuffy, but Artemis wasn't going to let herself be deterred from her nightly activities by a little humidity.

Even if it did mess with her fur and, subsequently, her hair.

Everything seemed peaceful, which was a rarity considering where she was. But not even any gunshots or car alarms met her keen ears as she perched like a furry sentinel on the parapet of an apartment building. Her silver eyes scanned over everything, spotting a few other werewolves jumping across roof tops here and there with laughter ringing in her direction.

Juveniles out for fun. Fun that she hoped wouldn't be at the expense of human life.

Artemis bounded to a new perch on a smaller shop building, her claws digging in frantically when one of her legs slid into a gaping hole in the roof's surface. She heard the sound of loose debris fall to the floor below, quickly hauling her leg out with her heart pounding in her chest from the near fall.

"Fenrir…" she muttered, glancing into the chasm. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd ever found herself falling several feet through the roof of a building that had seen better days. Her shoulder stilled throbbed sometimes from a four story fall in her training days.

Composing herself from the scare, Artemis glanced up, feeling her teeth clench when the hospital that served as her dad's headquarters came into view. It practically dominated the scenery of every corner of the slums, a constant reminder to everyone of who was watching. The lights were on in the windows on the bottom floors, keeping up that front of an actual hospital for the few citizens that could afford it.

While at the very top werewolves plotted murder and descent.

She wished she could burn it to the ground.

Suddenly, something faint reached Artemis's ears. She lifted her head up sharply, focusing on the sound.

It was crying. Definitely someone crying, if the sniffles were of any indication. Then, the crying turned into a desperate yell for help. It increased in volume, the sound full of shudders and shakes that vibrated in waves of sound to her ears.

The golden she-wolf immediately jumped into action, moving as quickly as she could across the town. The crying echoed off the side of buildings and through the deepest alleys, making it hard to pinpoint, but eventually she came to the conclusion that it was coming from a side street beside a cheap ass 24 hour diner with the lights still on. It was strangely empty.

Artemis landed on the rooftop, scrambling frantically to it's opposite end to gaze down on the scene before her.

Her blood caught fire in her veins at the sight.

There was a boy cowering beneath the form of a stooped brown furred werewolf. The kid had backed as far as he could into the small wedge created between two buildings, and had tucked his limbs as tightly together as he could. Artemis couldn't make out much about the boy's features, but she could tell by the pitch of his voice that he was very, very young.

And very scared.

The werewolf laughed at him, attempting to reach into the gap with dulled claws.

"What's the matter, kid? You look lost, let me help…" he growled. It was Ojo the blind werewolf, Artemis could tell by the voice. He normally didn't instigate straight forward attacks on humans without other werewolves around, but he was apparently not afraid to go after small helpless children by himself. His nose worked constantly as he spoke more. "Since you're so ungrateful, I'm afraid I can't let you go back home. Who knows who you'll tell about me!"

"I-I-I won't tell a-anyone! Just let me… just let me go!" the youth cried. Ojo lunged at the crack again, causing the little boy to scream violently.

"Pipe down you little brat!" Ojo hissed.

Artemis had seen enough. There was no other choice but for her to directly interfere, an act she knew would get her in a whole heap of trouble. Normally when she helped out the general human populace of the slums she tried to keep herself hidden, to help them as indirectly as possible so that nothing could ever positively be traced back to her.

But Ojo was going after a fucking _kid _and Artemis wasn't very worried about approaching things from the side at that point.

She jumped down from the roof, letting her shape shift into that of a large quadrupedal wolf that could easily be mistaken for a severely overgrown huskie. She ran at Ojo with fire in her limbs, barking as viciously as she could muster; why scare the kid with the appearance of a second upright walking wolf-man when she could save him as a creature he would be more familiar with.

Ojo rounded to the sound right as Artemis sprang up and bit viciously into his forearm. His blood ran into her mouth and she clamped down harder until he roared out in pain, his claws slamming into her side and knocking her onto the pavement.

"_Artemis!" _Ojo roared in rage. Shit. Of course he fucking knew who she was anyway; he may be blind but he knew the distinct smells of every single pack member he ever came into contact with. His face contorted as his blood dripped down, peppering the dark sidewalk crimson. "You'll pay for your interference, pup!" he spat, then with powerful limbs he was off, slamming into a couple of garbage cans in his haste to undoubtedly rat her out to her father.

Oh Fenrir, what the hell had she just _done_. This was by far the biggest mistake she had ever made.

Still, what was done, was done. She needed to take care of the kid before the consequences of her actions came crashing down on her. Artemis forced herself up, only mildly dazed from the toss, and padded over to the wedge in the wall.

The boy was crying hard, tears streaming down his freckle dusted cheeks. His hair was auburn, long enough that it feathered along his forehead while he sobbed. He lifted one arm to wipe the snot from his nose, the sleeves of his shirt tattered and too large for his thin frame. His knees were horribly scabbed, no doubt from scraping them along the concrete as he'd forced himself into the small area. His t-shirt was black with a picture of a green monkey on it, and for some reason it was that of all details that really struck Artemis of his age.

Her heart ached for him. She whimpered softly, wedging her head in as far as it would go to look at him with innocent dog eyes.

The kid responded, lifting his wet eyes up to glance at her. His eyes were green enough to startle Artemis, though not nearly as green as Wallace West's. They were very youthful, very innocent.

"Oh…" the kid murmured, swiping his eyes with the back of a hand. His lower lip trembled and more tears spilled down his cheeks. "Please don't hurt me! Y-you're not a wolf man too are you?"

Damn, what the hell had Ojo done to him?

Artemis barked softly, pulling her head out and wagging her tail. The air of a friendly dispositioned dog wasn't her usual forte, but she knew it would help the kid realize she was not an enemy. She lolled her tongue for good measure, panting and pacing back and forth.

It seemed to work, because the kid cautiously edged himself out of the hole.

"Where'd he go?" he squeaked, peeking his head around the corner. Artemis barked happily, spinning in a circle. The kid stared down the street, then back at her, his eyes widening. "Did you scare the wolf-man, doggy?"

"Rrauf!" Artemis barked. The kid smiled a little, coming out fully onto the street.

"Thanks, I'm Gar," he told her, moving his hand down slowly to pet her. She let him pat her head, then moved forward to invade his personal space. He laughed despite himself as she ran her nose across his shirt, checking for injuries while pulling in his scent. She ran her wet nose across his face just to make him laugh some more, satisfied that at least Ojo had not caused any bodily injury. Only emotional damage had been done tonight.

"I got separated from my mom, doggy," Gar choked out abruptly while Artemis was sniffing at the ground, trying to catch a whiff of the chocolate bar smell that clung to him; it was hard to distinguish anything outside of Ojo's overpowering odor. "I lost her! And then I was trying to g-get home and this w-wolf attacked and I just want to go h-home," he sobbed, trying to get rid of his tears with his curled fists.

It always confounded Artemis, how quickly a child's mood could swing; still, he had just been traumatized. She swung her head up and licked the salt from his cheek, then grabbed his shirt in her teeth and tugged it lightly. She barked, running ahead of him a bit before stopping to wag her tail at him. Her nostrils were wide and full of scents and the path was clear.

"You… want me to follow?" Gar asked curiously, voice thick. Smart kid.

"Rrauf!" Artemis said. The kid got the message and caught up to her. He grabbed her scruff in his hand and she lead him along, her senses on edge. Her eyes darted to the roofs at intervals, expecting to see members of her pack bearing down on her with murder in their eyes, but there was nothing.

Gar's little hand sent tremors into her fur. He was shaking. Artemis was shaking too, but for entirely different reasons. She knew how ruthless her pack could be to humans, but witnessing one tormenting a child was more than she could bring herself to bear. If the pack decided to kill her for treason, then so fucking be it; as long as she could get Gar safe and sound before then, she couldn't care less about her own well being.

"I've never seen a dog like you before," Gar said shakily, petting her scruff. "You remind me of my friend's huskie. You're not like that other weird doggy."

_Not quite_, she thought sadly, turning onto another street with the kid. He stroked her the whole way, seeking a sense of comfort from her soft fur no doubt. She found she didn't mind at all, and in fact the motion of his hand sliding across her scruff was soothing. Not unlike when she was human, and her mother ran her fingers over her scalp as she fell asleep with her head on her lap some nights.

The scent got stronger in places, fainter in others, but Artemis kept her nose to the ground, weaving in and out between buildings and side streets with the little boy in tow. He sniffled every now and then, tugging at the bottom of his shirt.

He grew scared when Artemis stopped abruptly and swiveled her ears sharply; seconds after she paused they were both scared shitless by the loud sound of metal garbage cans being knocked over somewhere close. In the quiet night it rang out like a gunshot, and the blonde nearly took off as her incident invaded her mind, making her gun wound sting.

But she had Gar with her, and he had hunkered down and started to cry right there in the middle of the street.

"I'm scared, I can't do this doggy, I want mom!" he cried out. Shit, shit, he was going to attract every werewolf in a twenty-yard radius! Artemis nudged him in the side affectionately, but he seemed beyond any sense of reason. Huffing to herself, Artemis scanned the surrounding area for danger, then walked around behind his squat form. She shoved her face in the gap between the boy's legs, causing him to yelp in alarm as she continued forward until he slid onto her back. This was enough to make him clutch her fur, which gave her the perfect excuse to set off at a much faster pace. "Woah!" Gar gasped, then started to laugh as the wind whipped through his hair. "This is fun! Faster doggy!"

Artemis was only too happy to oblige.

She ran for an immeasurable time, and her haunches were quaking with exertion when she finally arrived at a place the scent had been the strongest yet. She padded to a stop, tongue lolling, drops of saliva pattering onto the pavement. Gar slid from her back, gaping up at the buildings that surrounded them.

His eyes lit up.

"I know where we are!" he exclaimed. "My house, it's that way!"

He took off, and Artemis groaned. She was beyond in shape, but thick fur coupled with the weight of a small kid and muggy air? It was enough to make even the strongest feel weak.

She chased after Gar at a distance, but came to a stop when she saw him heading for a house that didn't even look like it belonged in the city. It was one of those strange, country looking houses that somehow occasionally got mixed into the big city setting, wedged snuggly right between two multi-floored towers.

And on that porch sat a woman, with the same auburn hair as her son and a very worried expression on her face as she cradled a phone in her hands.

"Mom, mom!" Gar called. "Mom, I found you!"

The woman looked up; her face brightened and she ran to meet him.

"Garfield! Oh, my baby boy, I'm so sorry, I thought you were—" she broke down, clutching the child to her.

They hugged it out right there on the street in the darkness of the slums, and Artemis, with her heart feeling light and an inward smile, turned and morphed quickly, climbing up the side of a building to disappear from view.

_This_. This was what it should mean to be a werewolf.

Even if it was probably the last thing she'd ever do.

**o.o.o.o**

Fire flickered in Lawrence's eyes.

The soot, ash, and smoke swirled into his nostrils as his pack threw more fuel to the flames, cackling like a gang of hyenas. He took satisfaction in the sounds of screaming and fright coming from within the surrounded store as the flames licked higher and higher, eating away the wood plank by plank.

They had brought their fate on themselves, and no fire department would be coming to save them; he'd made very sure of that. Such was the fate of humans that joined gangs and dug too deep into werewolf affairs.

The large blond man stood in the street, his arms crossed as he watched his work. One of the juveniles helping set up a howl in exhilaration, and moments later more voices joined in, heedless of the consequences if too many humans heard. Just this once Lawrence did not set his foot down; after all, juveniles needed to have their fun.

He smirked nastily.

"Alpha," came a breathless voice behind him. Lawrence had heard him before he approached, and didn't turn his attention away.

"What is it, Ojo? Can't you see I'm busy?" he growled, gesturing to the scene. His skin was bathed in flickering orange light; the heat from it coupled with the temperature had set up a thin sheen of sweat. "Whatever you need to say better be worth my time."

"Sir, it is your daughter," Ojo said through gritted teeth. That was enough to catch a little of Lawrence's interest. He turned to face the blind werewolf, who stooped just behind him, the eyes in his head milky and useless. He was breathing heavily, clutching at his forearm with one hand which was dripping crimson.

As usual, his nose was working double time pulling in the "sights" around him, never resting, never stopping lest he be left in the dark. His fur was ragged, a deep shade of brown, and Lawrence wrinkled his nose distastefully at some garbage clinging to his haunches.

He reeked of Gotham alleys and blood.

"I thought I made it clear that I don't give a damn about what she's doing, we have bigger problems," he said firmly, marching over to Ojo and pressing a thick finger hard into his chest. Even though the werewolf towered over him in his beast form, he almost cowered beneath the tone.

"But Lawrence, look at what she did to me!" he insisted, letting go of his wound. Deep, jagged teeth marks revealed themselves for but a moment before fresh blood welled up and swallowed them from view. Ojo hissed, clapping a palm back over it. "That little bitch, she interfered with my business! She _helped _the human child I was after, came running at me like a wild animal and tried to bite my arm off! _Your daughter is directly aiding the humans in our slums!"_

A less intelligent man might have doubted the word of a visually handicapped man, but Lawrence Crock was no fool. Despite Ojo's weak and groveling demeanor, Lawrence knew that if the werewolf claimed to have "seen" or even had contact with a specific someone, then he was sure to be 100 percent telling the truth. Hardly anything could escape the nose of a normal wolf, but take that wolf's eyesight away and he was going to see more clearly than ever before.

Lawrence clenched his fists tightly.

He had known for a long time that Artemis might wind up being more of a liability to him than an asset to him. What a waste those years of training had been; at least Jade had the good sense to kill humans when she was done toying with them in whatever ways she so chose to amuse herself.

Artemis, on the other hand… she'd always been too soft. Lawrence had tried to train it out of her, but she had received a far stronger dose of Paula Crock's stubbornness than he had anticipated.

Lawrence should have known better than to select a human mate all those years ago. But Paula's criminal behavior and honed skills had attracted him to her; humans that turned against their own kind through violence were decent enough in his books. So he'd taken careful time in courting her, always with the intent of having children he could mold into what he needed them to be.

And sure, he had loved Paula for a time; how could he not? But then she had gone and gotten herself paralyzed and become weak, and now his affections extended only enough to continue sheltering her and their daughters.

He was beginning to regret that decision.

He was going to have to teach his youngest daughter a lesson before she became a problem. He wasn't going to kill her; no, killing his own flesh and blood would be his last resort. He still knew of ways he could use them to benefit himself in the future. One day they would both see his ways, one way or another.

But for now, a little manipulation would be enough to keep Artemis in line. Lawrence had already tried warning her with his voice of reason back at the hospital, but it seemed his words had gone into one ear and straight out the other.

Stubborn pup, that's what she was.

Well, he'd just see how well the message seeped in a second time.

"Ojo, stay here with these idiots and make sure they don't let the fire spread. Don't need the whole damn town ablaze," he ordered roughly, pushing past the brown wolf as he let the change overcome himself. As with every time it hurt, but all werewolves got used to the pain after so many years of it, dulling it to the point that grit teeth would suffice to stifle the discomfort. His fur was an an odd yellow-gray, much duller than the golden color of his youngest.

"Yes, alpha," Ojo simpered, bowing his head.

Lawrence grunted at him, then with a single leap he was bounding across the rooftops.

Soon he had Artemis's scent and he knew she was heading home, so he altered his course to beat her there.

Time for another father/daughter chat.

**o.o.o.o**

**One thing I worry about is it not being clear enough to my readers about what sets Lawrence off when it comes to human contact. **

**Interfering with another werewolve's prey, well, that's a _huge_ ass offense in his books. You don't interrupt that kind of business, it'll get you killed real quick. **

**But there are worse things than even that, ****_one_ sacred rule that's an even worse offense; death pretty much guaranteed. I shan't say what it is. Can any of you guess?**


	11. Blame

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**In case you all needed a reminder of how big of a manipulative douche Lawrence is...**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 1,624 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis made it to her home without becoming another murder case for the news.

She considered that a pretty good sign, but she knew better than to let her naive hope grow into reckless naivety.

Still, she was genuinely happy as she sat down and told her mother of her deed.

"You should have seen the look on that mom's face when she saw her little boy was safe," she sighed, sipping at the delicious hot tea Paula had poured while they sat at the couch.

"I'm so proud of you, Artemis," the woman said. "But what happened with Ojo.. that sounds very dangerous. I am not blaming you for acting as you did, but _do _be more careful; if you start causing problems for your packmates, there will be hell to pay for sure," Paula murmured gravely, staring down into her cup, past the steam swirling up to the tired circles beneath her eyes.

"I know," Artemis said quietly.

They finished their tea with the conversation turning to less immediately stressful problems, such as how her relationship with Wally was going.

"You know, you left your cell phone on the coffee table when you left to patrol," Paula said, staring slyly over the rim of her cup. "I could not help but… leaf through a few texts. I saw his contact picture. What a handsome young man."

Artemis nearly spat her tea out.

"Mom! I'm not fifteen, you can't just look through my private messages like that!" she seethed, snatching the said device up off the table. Paula laughed at her as she made sure nothing had been deleted or altered, before shoving it into the pocket of the shorts her mother had ready for her when she arrived back. "And I've told you I'm not looking to date him."

"But you can agree that he's handsome can't you? As a friend?"

Artemis groaned. She was beginning to think her mom was dying for grandkids or something.

Maybe Paula should have a chat with Jade, who may or may not have already popped out a damn kid with a human boy.

"_Yes_, of course. I mean, yeah, he's good looking. Are you happy now?"

Paula just grinned.

Some time later, after Artemis had made sure her mother was squared away for the night, she made her way to her room. She yawned deeply, tiredness finally seeping into her limbs. She had been through a lot tonight, sleep would do her a whole world of good.

Except, as soon as she opened the bedroom door and sleepily closed it behind her, the hairs on her neck stood to attention.

Someone was waiting for her in her room.

"Artemis."

The blonde cursed herself for not hearing him enter her room long before, for not smelling him the second he stepped foot through her window. She turned to face him; he was sitting casually on her sister's old bed, watching her with emotions she couldn't name on his face.

_Well, this is it_, she thought wildly, swallowing down bile. At least she had a nice hour with her mother before her execution sentence.

"Dad," she grit out, looking at him cautiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you got yourself into a little trouble tonight," he began.

"So what if I did?" she boldly asked. It wasn't like Lawrence hadn't already threatened her about knowing what she did. Hell, the entire freaking pack likely knew by now that Artemis spent her time aiding humans. There was no need for him to dance around the subject like an asshole.

"Nothing. You want to help humans, baby girl? Go ahead," he said slowly, shrugging his broad shoulders. Artemis narrowed her eyes at the chalant tone in his voice; when Lawrence got chalant, it always meant trouble. "You think it hurts me any? I told you once before I have bigger problems than you."

Artemis had her guard up, as she always did around her dear old dad. She could never tell where his strange thoughts went, but she'd learned one too many times over the years to never pick up a false sense of security from his misleading words. She clenched her jaw at him.

"Flattering," she murmured shortly, but thought furiously on the inside, _Maybe I'm a bigger problem than you think!_

Lawrence stood up, walking across the room. As he moved he surveyed the wallpaper, the posters, the desk with the out of date computer on it.

Almost like he was trying to reserve her memory after a funeral by observing everything she'd touched in life.

"You and your sister always were more trouble for me than you were worth," he said, picking up one of Jade's old desktop knick knacks and turning it over in his hand. "But I'd say you, Artemis, have wound up being more troublesome for everyone _else_."

Artemis's brows came together.

"I already know, I'm a huge disappointment. Can you get on to your point, dad?" she scoffed, crossing her arms under her chest. Every single one of her senses was still on full alert, anxious for him to suddenly turn and lash on her, or for backup packmates to come bursting through the window to tear her to shreds.

Lawrence casually crushed the trinket in his palm, and set it back down. With bent legs, the little toy Cheshire cat fell to it's side helplessly. "Tell me, Artemis, have you ever stopped to consider your actions? Did you even think about the consequences of attacking Ojo while he was on business?"

Artemis snorted so hard it hurt.

"If by business you mean killing innocent children," she spat. "You know, dad, the funny thing is, I'm actually feeling pretty good about myself right now. I might even do it again."

Ooh, that felt good to say out loud to him. It was all out the window by now anyway, she might as well just let her feelings be known. As it were, Lawrence hardly reacted to her outward rebellion.

In fact, he smirked at her, and the resemblance to her own smirk had her scowling darkly at him.

"You go ahead and do that, baby girl. Whatever little hiccup it is in your genes that makes you want to be a hero for humans, you go ahead and let it shine. Like I said before, feed them, arm them! I won't do a thing to stop you! " Lawrence said, advancing on her. Artemis stood her ground, her fists clenching. Her eyes flashed silver at the man towering above her, but his seared gold right back at her as he continued. "But stealing a kill is another matter entirely, girl! The blood of every human life you tear out of a fellow werewolves claws will be on _your _hands, Artemis. You saved that little boy and you're feeling pretty good about yourself, but what happens when his mother has a freak encounter with an out of control animal and dies? How good will you feel then? The blood of his future misfortunes is all. Your. _Fault_, Artemis."

Her complexion paled, a cold sweat broke out across her skin.

_Oh, Fenrir… no._

"You can't!" she rasped out like a child, backing up. Lawrence followed her until her shoulder blades met the wall. She had never felt more like a cornered animal in her life.

"Oh, I won't. I already told you I have bigger fish to fry. But Ojo? The other werewolves you may have interfered with?" Lawrence chuckled. "Werewolves don't let things go, and in case you've forgotten we know exactly where most of the humans in our territory live. We know where the _boy _lives. What happens if his family dies, Artemis? It would be all your fault, not the killers. _You _put him on the pack radar by helping him. _You _scorned Ojo by disrupting his kill. All of it, on you."

Artemis couldn't breathe. Her room felt unbearably hot, suffocating her, pressing down on her from all sides. Lawrence was right, he was completely and utterly _right_. She had been so busy contemplating the punishment _she _would receive for her transgression. All this time she should have been thinking about the boy's well-being, how what she had done could affect _him_.

Yet how could she not have acted? If she had left Ojo alone Garfield would have died at his claws, and then _that _blood would have been on her hands for doing nothing. Either way Artemis tried to look at it, both her actions and inactions left her the one wielding the bloody claws.

_Everything _was her fault.

Lawrence grinned over her, lifting her chin up with one finger, so that she was forced to look at him directly, eyes swimming with confusion, agony, and anger. The fucking bastard. _Oh, Fenrir..._ why couldn't she have just been ruthless and indifferent like her dad? She'd never wanted this life, she'd tried so hard to get away from it, and even that was falling apart

"It's time for you to pick a side, Artemis. You don't belong with humans, you're one of us. Do them a favor and stick to your roots," he told her, dropping her chin with finality. Artemis couldn't bring herself to move. She stared blankly ahead at the wall, barely registering her dad's exit through the window.

An immeasurable amount of time passed there in the dark, with inner demons bearing down on her as vehemently as the suffocating heat, until she was sure she was drowning in it. She closed her eyes so tight she saw spots, a million conflicting thoughts running through her head.

Artemis slid down the wall, holding her legs tightly to her body.

_What could she possibly do now?_

**o.o.o.o**

**Really playing on the emotional and mental abuse that Greg confirmed of Lawrence so many years ago. Don't worry though, Artemis isn't a badass for nothing. Also I promise there's more Wally/Artemis in this fic, ha, just haven't really gotten into yet. Should be some in the next chapter or so, methinks.**


	12. The Call

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Okay, I am not a cop, never have been, probably never will be. I'm also not in law. So I apologize in advance if some of the things in here are waaaay inaccurate. I did my best, I did some research on the subjects and just worked with it the best I could. **

**No I mean in all seriousness here is the next chapter I did what I could!**

**TEXT CONVERSATIONS GALORE! Oh, and Dick POV.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 4,542 words**

**o.o.o.o**

**Artemis:**

_Hey, Wally._

**Fire Head:**

_Artemis! Haven't heard from you in a while. Two days in fact._

Neither had anyone else.

Artemis looked at the text with bloodshot eyes, feeling guilty. For two days since her father's impromptu visit she had been struggling to come up with answers for herself.

Leave it to her dad to turn her world upside down and leave her grasping for something to hold on to, something that still made sense.

Her mother's love still made sense. Her friendship with Wally still made sense; those things kept her grounded. At least she could start there.

Artemis Crock wasn't going to wallow in self-loathing and uncertainty if she had anything to say about it. Instead of sobbing to herself she had been thinking very hard for two days straight.

And finally it had paid off with a crazy idea that had popped into her head, courtesy of something her mother had said.

"_Try approaching your problems less like a werewolf, and more like a human," _was a rather popular phrase Paula liked to repeat to her youngest whenever she was having a rough time with anything pack related. And it was that phrase that had entered her mind during her power thinking.

What _did _a human do when they felt endangered? What _did _a human do when someone was after them, threatening them? _What..._

That was when Artemis had come up with an idea that could either work like a charm, or fail miserably. All depending on the parties involved.

One of the parties involved being, strangely enough, Wally's friend Dick the cop, whom she had yet to meet.

**Artemis:**

_Sorry, I've just been busy. Can I ask you something?_

**Fire Head:**

_Sure, what's up?_

**Artemis:**

_Your friend, Dick, the cop? You told me that he believes in all the werewolf myths... right? Or he thinks they're a real possibility? _

Her entire plan hinged on whether or not Dick Grayson was one of the many people in the city that actually had an open mind to the possibilities. She really liked Wally, she did, but he was one of the most closed minded individuals she'd ever met; she hoped the company he kept wasn't nearly as stuck up in that regard.

**Fire Head:**

_I'm afraid so. I've tried talking sense into him but he's always been a little whacked in the head, if you know what I mean._

Perfect. So fucking perfect.

**Artemis:**

_Kind of like yourself? _

She responded with a smirk.

Just within a few texts Artemis was feeling more at ease than she had felt for two days, and what better way to make herself happy again than by messing with Wallace West?

**Fire Head:**

_I've never been whacked in the head! Dick on the other hand is a cop, he's seen the inside of his thick skull a few times. Really scrambles your brains after a while._

**Artemis:**

_Uh-huh. And consistently locking oneself in a tiny lab and breathing in toxic fumes all day does not? _

**Fire Head:**

_I have a ventilation system!_

**Artemis:**

_Give it some time and you'll be believing in werewolves yourself… _

In time, definitely. Artemis was going to get Wally's help if it was the last thing she ever did. He had the tools, he had the science, he had the brains. Together with her own brains and her knowledge of werewolf anatomy, she was confident that something could be done in the future to provide relief for her… condition.

Imagine how much better the world would be if they could completely wipe out the werewolves? Rob them of their abilities. The thought made her _way _too giddy.

Yes, Wally West was going to find out about her sooner or later.

She just had to pluck up the guts for it first. Rejection from him… didn't sit well in her stomach.

**Fire Head:**

_Over my dead body_. (Artemis cringed.) _Anyway, why did you ask me about Dick's mental stability?_

**Artemis:**

_I actually didn't, you just turned it into that kind of conversation. You do seem to have a gift for twisting words there, fire head._

**Fire Head:**

_...touche. Please tell me you don't want to meet him? I'm actually surprised you haven't bumped into him yet since you come here most evenings. I mean, if we keep hanging out it's going to happen eventually but I'd rather postpone that day to preferably never. _

**Artemis:**

_I'm really sensing the strong friendship here._

**Fire Head:**

_You should be!_

Artemis laughed quietly to herself, then took a deep breath. Maybe Wally could help her with more than just confirming Dick's werewolf standpoint… She typed out her message fast and sent it before she could stop herself. What she needed was a critical opinion of the matter she faced. With a rhetorical twist, of course, so that Wally wouldn't catch onto anything.

**Artemis:**

_...Wally, what would you do if someone tried to stop you from doing something you thought was 100% the right thing to do?_

**Fire Head:**

_Woah, getting philosophical now are we? Well... I guess that depends on what it is, really._

Difficult dork; couldn't he just take it and leave it? She wracked her brains for a situation she could present to him. She smirked, typing.

**Artemis:**

_Say you were a hero. With the powers from your silly high school dreams._

**Fire Head:**

_Superspeed? My power of choice! _

She could imagine the glee on his face.

**Artemis:**

_Just remember not to go too fast, hot rod._

**Fire Head:**

_Please, not the thinly veiled reference to sex again! Just go on with the question._

**Artemis:**

_Fine. What if you were a hero... no, scratch that. What if you were a villain, but then you switched sides because you realized you didn't enjoy causing problems in people's lives. But then someone from your villain past threatened you that every person you helped save would be in even greater danger of being robbed or killed?_

_But you knew that if you stopped being a hero that the people would also be in greater danger without you protecting them._

_So no matter what you thought to do, both ways ended in more danger for the people you wanted to protect._

She waited with baited breath. It seemed like an eternity before he answered her back.

**Fire Head:**

_Artemis...?_

**Artemis:**

_Yeah?_

**Fire Head:**

_Is there something wrong? That's an awfully specific kind of scenario... is everything okay?_

There was that ridiculous amount of concern for someone that he had only known for a few weeks. The same concern that had thrown him into a mess of crap he didn't even know he was a part of yet. It was a little flattering, but mostly annoyed her; partly at herself for wording her question in a way that made him suspect something, and partly at him for being way too attentive to the feelings behind the text. What was his deal?

**Artemis:**

_Yeah! Yeah everything is fine. This was just one of those, you know, stupid deep pondering-the-universe-before-bedtime kind of things. I just couldn't shake it, I guess it got on my mind because you told me about your super power dream. Made me think of superheroes._

**Fire Head:**

_Oh. Yeah, I totally get those. But, I think your question is kind of flawed._

**Artemis:**

_How is it flawed?_

**Fire Head:**

_Well, what kind of person would do something like that all on their own? If I were a hero I'd have a team. I'd have friends in high and low places. Ya know, people to back me up. And obviously together there's no way the villains would be able to keep us from protecting everyone. We'd always have each other's backs. Imagine how cool it would be to have a whole line of people that could help clean up your messes, haha!_

His answer surprised her. She didn't know what she was expecting but that wasn't it. And yet if her plan worked out, it would be like he said; in a way, it would bring her back-up, a second line of defense so that she could continue to try and help in her own discreet ways.

She was starting to wonder if Wally had mind-reading powers in his dreams instead of speed powers.

**Artemis:**

_Cleaning up each other's messes, huh? That'd be a full time job with you. _

She joked at him, though her thoughts were busy wrapping and re-wrapping around what he had just said, rather than focusing wholly on their continuing back-and-forth conversation.

**Fire Head:**

_Hey! But yeah, that's my answer to your question. Is that helpful to your universe ponderings?_

**Artemis:**

_It was, actually. I can feel my mind at ease now._

**Fire Head:**

_What a load off the old block, to not have to wonder in futility what heroes would do if they got threatened by villains! Sleep soundly tonight, Artemis Crock!_

**Artemis:**

_Only if you promise not to dream too fast. You might wake up outside in your boxers._

**Fire Head:**

_Oh, the horror!_

**Artemis:**

_I really hope that wasn't sarcasm. Imagine how angry everyone would be when they woke up with science nerds in their yard because you went outside with your pasty legs showing._

**Fire Head:**

_LOL, oh man, okay, you win this round._

**Artemis:**

_I win every round. Good night, Wally._

**Fire Head:**

_No you don't. Sweet dream, Artemis._

A clear solution had unfurled inside Artemis's mind, thanks to her texts with Wally. It was with a smile that she shut her cell phone for the night and laid it upon her nightstand.

That night she climbed into her bed feeling a sense of conviction and a much lighter burden on her redhead was right, she thought as she snuggled down into her covers after a relaxing shower. There was no need for her to try and help the entire territory out by herself. All she had to do was pick up a phone, make a call, and trust that the humans were a lot stronger than they looked.

If Paula Crock and Wallace Rudolph West were of any indication, they would definitely in their own capable hands.

That night, Artemis dreamed of being a masked archer with strong arms and full lips that smirked. She let an arrow fly from her bow, only to have it snatched right up out of the air by a red and yellow blur.

"You dropped this, beautiful," a voice said with much humour.

She couldn't quite place the voice, and when Artemis woke up she barely remembered the dream at all.

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis nearly tore the house down searching for the phone book. Luckily Paula had taken a bus into Gotham proper for a little bit of shopping, so the blonde didn't have to answer to her disapproving looks at the mess she'd made.

Although, perhaps the woman's presence would have been preferred, considering the last place Artemis searched in was her mother's room. Where she immediately found the phone book stashed in the drawer of her bedside table, right beside the old Vietnamese romance novels she indulged in each night before bed. Artemis rolled her eyes fondly, shoving the steamy story to one side so that she could grab her prize.

_Finally_. She would clean up the mess later.

It was another frustration entirely for her to find the numbers for the Gotham City Police Department. A quick search through the 'G' section showed her nothing, another through the 'P' section did yield her some results that got her blood pressure up though. It informed her under the 'Police Departments' section that she should refer back to the Government Section for results. Which is where she had looked in the first place.

Damnit, next time they were getting a phone book for Gotham City alone, not for the entire tri-city area.

Eventually, and several nearly torn pages later, Artemis finally located the numbers for the GCPD. Including the Tip Hotline number.

This was it, the number she needed, her last and only line of defense if she was correct. If Artemis Crock couldn't help the people of the slums as a werewolf anymore, at least not in the direct life-saving sense, than she was going to start helping them as a human. She dialed the number, one of her hands clenching into the comforter on her mom's bed while it rang at the other end.

With a click, a voice answered.

"Gotham City Police Department Tip Hotline, how can we assist you?" a monotone voice answered. Artemis would have been annoyed with the guy's attitude if it weren't for the fact he was, ya know, part of the _Gotham City Police Department_. Where there was so much crime at all hours of the day that the tip hotline was probably ringing off the walls from dawn to dusk. She would get tired of answering a phone constantly too, especially if half the calls most likely winded up being duds or dead ends on cases.

Artemis took a breath; she'd never really interacted with humans directly like this outside of her mom and Wally.

"Sir, I'd like to leave a very important tip for Officer Dick Grayson, specifically," Artemis said in a neutral voice. Sounding chipper about a tip, or too disinterested in one for that matter, was not a bright idea. So neutral it was.

The guy on the other end made a grunting noise. She heard him ruffling around in the background, maybe grabbing a notepad and pen to ready himself for her information. Or so she imagined; she had no clue how police departments conducted their business, and frankly she never wanted to know.

"Grayson, eh? Alright, what information do you have, ma'am?"

"I've heard Grayson has taken a prominent interest in the, uh, slum maulings," Artemis said, twirling the cord of the phone around her index finger. Geez. Wally would probably have a heart attack if he could see some of the ancient tech lying around the Crock household; wires on phones when there were things out there like cell phones? Even Artemis could see the craziness of it now that she had a wireless personal phone. She shook her head to get back on track; no time to be distracted just because she was a little nervous about this. "I have reason to believe that a little boy named Garfield Logan, and his mother Marie Logan, might be in imminent danger."

She heard the sound of a pen scratching across paper. The guy cleared his throat, shifting in his seat.

"You think they could be attacked next, miss? Is that it?"

"Yes sir. I can't tell you how I have this information, but they're friends of mine and I'm very concerned for their well-being," Artemis went on, her throat dry. _Please work, please work, please work_. "Tell Dick Grayson that whatever it is he's thinking about the connection between all these maulings, it's… correct. Tell him to talk to Garfield, ask him what he's seen." Oh man, she was walking some thin ice here. But as far as she knew these calls were completely anonymous, so no one, not even her pack, would ever be able to find out. Because she knew for a fact that no werewolves had infiltrated the police department; that was one force Lawrence didn't want to stick his paws in. "Just, please tell Dick about this as soon as possible. Tell him the slums need help. I have confidence he'll know what to do for that poor kid and his mother."

As much confidence as she could have for a guy she'd only heard a little about.

More pen scratching.

"Okay, I'll get it to him as soon as he's off his lunch break. Is there anything else you can tell us, miss?"

Artemis rattled off the address; she had looked them up in the phone book, remembering the location of where she had dropped Gar off that night. She let him know that something needed to be done very quickly or she was sure they'd be the next victims on the news. He asked her if she wanted to remain anonymous about the call and she said yes. Then he bid her a good evening and that was that.

Now all she could do was wait for them to take action.

Fenrir, she hated waiting on anything, especially with lives in the balance.

**o.o.o.o**

Dick Grayson had the story from Garfield within a week of receiving the anonymous tip. The kid seemed smart for his age, not likely to make up wild stories about what had happened to him some nights ago. Gar's witness testimony was enough to make the hairs prickle uneasily on the back of Dick's neck.

As far as he was concerned, this was exactly the proof he had been looking for. Also the kind of proof he couldn't wait to shove in Wally's face, even though he was positive the bullheaded scientist would still dismiss it as a kid's sugar hopped imagination.

"What did the wolf-man do to you, Garfield?" Dick asked him while he and his mother sat with him in the living room of their quaint home. Marie Logan seemed upset over her son's recounts, no doubt disbelieving he actually saw anything more ferocious than someone's extra temperamental dog. She tried to mouth an apology to Dick, but he waved her away, listening intently to the kid.

"He chased me. I was really scared, but I found a hole between some buildings and I crawled into it," he stated proudly, puffing out his chest. "He could talk, too! He told me that he couldn't let me go or I might tattle on him!"

Jesus. This was the realest shit Dick had encountered yet. He could barely believe what he was hearing, but he knew in his heart that it was true. If there was one thing Bruce had taught him, it was to always take every account seriously, even if it seemed like the biggest trash story ever.

"So he didn't want you to live because you would tell someone about him, is that right, bud?" he asked, jotting down very articulate notes. He had to make sure he got everything right down to a tee. Gar nodded. "I see. Go on."

"I didn't know what to do so I just looked away. Then I heard some really, really loud growling and barking sounds. I heard the wolf-man yell a name or something? I think it sounded like, uh, Ar- Ertarmes?," he struggled over the word. "Art must? I don't know, it was weird. But anyway this other wolf doggy I think ran him away. It was really nice, it was yellow and looked like my friend's huskie! Cept bigger. She led me home!"

Dick wrote down the word 'Art must', putting several question marks beside it and underlining it twice. There was something about the name that was bothering him, but he didn't press it any further; he would dig into it once he got back to the station. He put his notes up and stood. Marie stood as well.

"I'm so sorry for your time, officer," she apologized. Dick held up his other hand to stop her.

"No, ma'am, _I'm sorry_. I think your son really was attacked by someone at the least. They could still be on the loose and sound dangerous. I think it would be in both your best interests to relocate, at the very least temporarily."

Marie Logan looked indignant. "Excuse me?"

Oh boy. Dick made a placating gesture with his hands.

"Miss Logan, I'm sorry, but I don't think the evidence your son provides will allow me to put you both in witness protection. While I wholeheartedly believe Garfield's story, I'm not so sure it would be easy to convince anyone else. I can see by the look on your face that you don't believe him either."

Marie looked at the floor, her face hard. "I'm just… overwhelmed. I don't see how this could happen, wolf-man or not."

Dick smirked. "Have you tried just being whelmed?"

"Excuse me?" Marie asked again, eyebrow raised. Dick shook his head; he hadn't been able to resist himself, making up his own words had been one of his favorite pastimes in high school.

"Just a little joke. Look, I can personally help you find a home on the other side of the slums, it would be my pleasure. I know it's not easy uprooting yourself but I'm telling you as a cop that I think it would be best," he said gently. Just by looking at the woman he could tell she was hardheaded; the sun beaten freckles and tired eyes told him as much. Marie considered him for a long time, then looked down at her son when he tugged at her shirt.

"I don't want to stay here anymore, mom," he muttered, brows furrowed in concern. Marie sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

"What about other people here?" she demanded of Dick, one hand on her hip, gesturing out her front door. "If someone has threatened my son's life then who knows who else is in trouble too. I refuse to be a special treatment case if people are suffering."

"Don't worry, I'll have them covered," Dick promised, grinning. "We'll see how many threats get made after I request double patrols here at night. It's entirely your decision on whether you leave or not, Miss Logan, really. What do you say?"

Marie glanced at her son again. She tightened her jaw.

"If it's what you think is best… then we'll move. But I want to move into Gotham proper," the woman demanded suddenly, determined. "I'm tired of this miserable part of town. I've been trying to get back on my feet for a long time. You see, I used to own a very successful animal preserve in Qurac, but when the countries fell into war I knew it was too unsafe to stay there anymore. Especially when I became pregnant with Garfield. Unfortunately, owning a preserve doesn't make a person rich, and neither does a husband walking out on you."

"I'm sure not," Dick agreed, in slight wonder. He never would have expected her to have lived in such a far away place; she seemed like a woman that had been subject to a hard city living her whole life. "Sounds like you've led an interesting life."

"Interesting, yes. Kind, no. Rewarding? Definitely," she said, squeezing her boy's shoulder. "Officer Grayson, I normally wouldn't ask but since you're offering, if you could suggest a place in the city for me, I'll find a job there and get my son out of here. I should have moved years ago when the slums took over my neighborhood, this is no place to raise a child anymore. I was just too stubborn to leave my home."

"I would be more than happy to. In fact, I already have a few places in mind, I'll write them down for you before I go. I suggest you start looking to move as soon as you can, but like I said I'll be trying to get more patrols down this way, so you should be safer for awhile."

On his way out of the Logan residence, Dick received a text message. He dug his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was from Wally. In the time it took him to read the first message, a second one followed on it's tail.

**Kid Flash**

_Hey, Artemis!_

_OH shit, wrong number. You didn't see anything, Dick!_

The cop rolled his eyes.

Artemis. Wally sure was talking more and more about her, had even admitted they'd been hanging out a lot. He was starting to think meeting her would be a good idea, but he never seemed to get the time off to come over at the late evenings Artemis seemed to.

Artemis. Art-ta-miss.

Art must?

Dick narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin in thought.

Could that have been the name Gar was having such a hard time pronouncing? Artemis wasn't exactly a common name…

The more he thought about it, the more it started to make sense, and the more excited he grew. Garfield had said that a yellow-furred dog had saved him from his so-called wolf-man, and that the wolf-man had yelled something that sounded like "Art must!" at the animal when it assaulted him. Now Dick wasn't a scientist like his best pal, but he was pretty sure art must made no sense. Artemis, on the other hand, did.

And the dog had led him back to his mother. Then two days later Dick had received an anonymous call from a "woman with a husky voice", as Bob had described her, telling him that whatever he thought about the cases was correct. And what Dick Grayson thought about the cases was that there was a pattern of distinct violence that made him feel like werewolves were a real possibility…

Pursing his lips, Dick pulled his phone out and texted Wally back.

**Dick:**

_Wally, have you told Artemis about me at all? And by that I mean have you told her you think I'm a werewolf believing lunatic cop?_

**Kid Flash:**

_...nooooooo. Why would I say that about my bestest buddy in the whole wide world?_

**Dick:**

_What does Artemis sound like? When she speaks, I mean, her voice._

**Kid Flash:**

_Dick bro, you are asking some weird questions… what are you up to? Why the sudden interest in my friend? OH my Einstein, no! No you stay away from her, you are not going after her, you already have like ten life-companion possibilities, you need to stop! INTERVENTION!_

**Dick:**

_Wally, I am not interested in romantically pursuing your girlfriend, please answer my question you mad scientist! _

Wally had some serious issues sometimes.

**Kid Flash:**

_She's NOT my girlfriend for the billionth time. No, I'm not answering til you tell my why you're asking what she sounds like. Are you trying to profile her for something? DUDE, you promised me you weren't going to bother her!_

Time to lie.

**Dick:**

_I'm not profiling her, it's just that I've told Barb about you and Artemis. She's convinced this blonde chick she heard talking at the grocery store the other day might've been her. She didn't catch her name. Ah, Barb said she had a quiet voice or something. Which I somehow think from what you've told me about Artemis is definitely not her._

**Kid Flash:**

_Quiet? HAH! No no no, my friend, Artemis has a loud voice. And it's like really husky, kind of rough. If I weren't her friend I'd say it was smoking hot. Is it okay for me to say it's smoking hot in a totally objective non-romantic way? Cause I mean it is but I'm definitely not… uh, nevermind._

**Dick:**

_Keep it in your pants, Kid Flash._

Dick shut his phone and ignored the flurry of texts that buzzed from it.

He curled his fingers around the steering wheel, feeling a smile curl his lips up.

Artemis Crock was a werewolf.

And she was clearly trying to help set some things right in the slums.

**o.o.o.o**

**I loooove making references to the actual show. Awwww yiss! I hope everyone is still enjoying this, it sucked my fanfiction prowess out, it'll be ages before my creative YJ juices are flowing again. I appreciate the continued reviews!**


	13. Silver

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter length: 3,382 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis laughed, pausing in her cleaning of Wally West's home lab table.

He grinned at her, juggling several freshly scrubbed beakers in his arms, transferring them to a stark white cabinet in one corner of the room.

"I'm not even joking!" he insisted, stacking them in very meticulously. "Bart has been trailing behind me since he got out of highschool! He begged me to put in a good word for him at my work."

She smiled to herself, pushing some loose blonde hair from her face. The two of them had spent the evening together, messing around with some chemicals and testing out a few useless yet very intriguing science experiments Wally had looked up online. Some of them Artemis had already been familiar with, but still others had been entirely new.

Wally had enthusiastically shown her an experiment involving sodium acetate that in her opinion winded up looking like a very large, very lumpy old wax candle.

"_Wait, wait, so this shit is used in heating pads?" Artemis had asked in wonder, staring at the not-wax curiously through her protective goggles. She was dying to poke it to see if it felt anything like wax, but she wasn't sure if Wally would slap her hand away or not. _

"_That's right!" Wally had beamed. "Basically you melt some sodium acetate trihydrate way past it's melting point, and it dissolves into its water of crystallization, which by the way is basically water that forms inside the crystals. Anyway, if you let it cool back down to room temperature, it becomes supersaturated and won't form the crystals again. So in heat pads they put this supersaturated solution into a pouch, along with something like a metal disc, and when you squeeze on it a nucleation centre is created and the solution reacts and solidifies back into crystals, a process which is exothermic, meaning it—" _

"_Releases heat, got it," Artemis had finished for him, beyond amused by his childlike enthusiasm. He had told her he spent his weekend looking up random science experiments on the internet, and he clearly had a knack for memorizing the processes once he had read about them in full detail. She imagined he found them on science kid websites and then spent like five hours going into the complicated details online. _

_In fact, he affirmed as much when he got entirely too upset over a particular experiment he'd stumbled across._

"_And they called it 'The Magic Ketchup Experiment'," he had exploded while they were eating lunch together on a break from the lab. It was almost comical how mad he got about it. "Magic! Can you believe that? It's science. Good, wholesome _science _that makes that damn ketchup pack float! You see, the salt—"_

"_Wally, it's for _kids_," she'd told him, interrupting his tirade. "They don't care."_

"_Well I do!" he'd protested, and honestly she'd started to kind of tune him out after that because it was much funner to watch his freckled face contort and move with his animated motions. Especially when his neck got red the more flustered he got about the whole thing._

_What a dweeb. A very smart dweeb. She supposed it was a good thing she was pretty damn smart herself, though she sure as hell was no science prodigy. But Artemis Crock knew her stuff._

_Luckily Wally found her knowledge of tetragametic chimerism and other forms to be very interesting. He asked her about it quite a lot, clearly curious about how she'd gotten so interested in the subject._

"_I was uh, home schooled," she'd told him. "I really liked the science my mom taught me and, well, I had a lot of free nights to spend googling anything and everything."_

_The redhead had nodded in understanding, and then he was bombarding her with questions about it, while Artemis bit the inside of her cheek. The truth was that she was indeed home schooled, but the reason she had stumbled upon the subject of chimerism was because she had always sought out an answer for why she was what she was. By all accounts it made no sense to her, but when she had found the page about chimerism she had felt she was somehow close to some form of answer. _

_It was at least a comfort for her, and she'd combed the same wikipedia page again and again to put herself to sleep at night._

"I guess your cousin really looks up to you," Artemis said presently, dropping the bleach soaked rag back into it's bucket before shoving her safety goggles up onto her forehead. It was rather hot in the cozy room; the fan in the window did little for room temperature, as it was facing backwards in order to suck out foul odors and fumes. She rolled her sleeves up, crossing her arms under her bosom as she began meandering around while Wally finished cleaning up.

"Well, I mean I guess I can't blame him," Wally said cockily, picking up more cleaned beakers from the sink and drying them off. Artemis rolled her eyes at him as she began gazing at some trophies and plaques on a small shelf in the corner. She had glanced at them from afar a few times, but now she actually picked them up one by one, reading the deeds and feats they proclaimed.

"Right, yeah. Who _wouldn't _want to follow in the footsteps of the first place winner in the Central City County Fair hotdog eating contest!" Artemis exclaimed, reading the words off a little bronze trophy that pictured a giant frankfurter; classy as hell, really. "You're an inspiration to us all!"

"You _think _that's a clever comeback until I tell you about how Bart started entering those contests with me every year. Never could make more than fourth place!" Wally seemed incredibly proud of that fact, puffing his chest out and shining the nails of one hand on his stained lab coat. "Eating contests take years of discipline."

"Or a naturally bottomless pit," the blonde supplied, setting the item back down.

He huffed behind her, muttering about his metabolism again, before continuing on with his stories about all the times Bart had followed in his footsteps or tagged along when he was severely unwanted. These times included a date Wally had scored with a college girl, science conventions, Comic Con, and a once in a lifetime trip to the Large Hadron Collider.

Artemis had to admit even she was a little jealous of that last.

As Wallace blabbered on in barely concealed fondness for his so-called obnoxious relations, Artemis's steel eyes alighted on the largest trophy of the bunch. It was perched on the top shelf, all on it's own, polished and shined so lovingly that it made her eyes water a bit. Even her keen eyes had trouble making out the words due to the lights reflecting off it's brilliant silver surface.

She reached up for it, confident that, like the other silver trophies she'd handled so far, it was fake.

How very wrong she was.

Artemis yelled out in shock the moment her palm rested on the round metal beneath the handle. She jerked her hand away so fast that the trophy toppled from it's perch, denting with the force it landed with.

"_Artemis!"_

Real silver. It was real fucking silver.

Artemis held her quaking palm out in front of her face, horrified by the terrible second degree burns that stood out in angry red blisters. Smoke furled off of her olive skin, a thin white veil of it that she knew Wally could probably see. She didn't care, it was burning horrendously, making tears pinprick on the corners of her eyes as she yelled out again, crouching down on her knees and cradling the ravaged skin to her chest.

Her body trembled with pain that radiated out, searing her skin down to her elbow even though the actual burns extended no farther than the place of contact.

Artemis sobbed through clenched teeth.

"Artemis!" Wally yelped again, crouching down beside her, his warm presence overwhelming her. He placed one hand on her back, the other reaching around to grab her forearm. Her first instinct was to snarl and jerk away, but she bit her lip to stifle the action, instead allowing him to pull the suffering limb out into the light. He muttered an expletive at the sight. "What in the world," he gasped, green eyes darting to the trophy.

Artemis followed his line of vision.

There was a tarnished imprint of her palm burned into the silver. She stood up quickly, walking away from him despite his protests. She yanked the lab door open, tears drying on her cheeks.

"Artemis, wait!"

She didn't.

The blonde moved through the kitchen, yanking her goggles off with her good hand and slinging them with a clatter onto the table surface, hard enough that unbeknownst to her in that moment, a hairline crack in the plastic spiraled along one side.

Artemis was furious with herself; she should have been more careful around such things, it was foolish to assume every trophy ever handed out was made of knock-off silver.

She leaned over the kitchen sink, turning the cold water on full blast, hissing at the pain that flared before the cool sensation of the liquid had her sighing with relief. She knew that the moment she pulled it out it would go right back to burning, but she would take what she could get.

"Good, that's good, just, uh, keep that under the water, I'll get my first aid kit!" Wally stammered behind her, making her tense. He left, racing back into the lab he had followed her out of.

Artemis contemplated escaping while she could.

She wanted Wally to know about her lycanthropy, she did, but not like _this_. Not here, not now, not because of a mistake that was honestly pup worthy. He had seen everything, he had seen the smoke and the handprint and the burns, and Artemis Crock knew for a fact that human beings did not get nearly hospital worthy burns from touching room temperature silver.

And Wally West was a smart guy, too. There would be no way to explain away what had just occurred.

Artemis wanted to die.

**o.o.o.o**

Wally was beside himself as he crouched down, cautiously picking up the National Science Bowl trophy that had somehow caused a fiasco. He expected it to be nuclear hot on the pads of his fingers, but instead a shock of cold metal was the sensation he got. Immediately, his brows furrowed in consternation, a million thoughts trying to buzz through his brain before the running water echoing from the kitchen reminded him insistently that he had to take care of Artemis before he could figure out what the hell had happened.

He set the trophy on his clean lab table for the time being, then grabbed his first aid kit from the very back of the cabinet—seriously, he never had to use this thing… more than once a week.

Wally pried the lid open to make sure it was still well stocked, then marched back into the kitchen, his heart thudding wildly because everything had happened so fast, had been such a shock.

The fact that Artemis Crock had tears running down her cheeks had informed him the severity of it, because he hadn't once seen her cry yet, not even that first night when she'd been bleeding.

And something about seeing her cry had twisted his intestines into a jumbled knot of nerves and determination to make it better.

When the redhead arrived back in the kitchen, it was to find the water in the sink still running, and no Artemis in sight. Panicking, he turned it off and ran full speed into his living room, skidding to a relieved halt when he glimpsed her sitting on his couch.

She was cradling her palm, waiting for him with something like shame in her demeanor.

"Wally, it—" she started tensely, but he held up a hand, walking over to join her on the couch.

"Don't even feed it to me, Artemis. I know that hurts like hell and I'm going to bandage it up even if I have to strap you into a chair," he threatened, already grabbing the necessary items from the kit. She pressed her lips together, yet said no more to him.

And it was just as well because Wally West had already learned to see right through her attempts at telling him everything was okay when it wasn't.

Einstein, he'd never seen a woman so unwilling to accept help in his life. And believe him, it hadn't taken much interaction with her for him to gather that she was completely and utterly unreasonable.

"Forgot, gotta clean it first," he said, gently holding her hand and examining the burns. His scientific mind was screaming to him that this was just not possible, something like this shouldn't have happened unless the trophy had been heated. Yet his eyes were seeing that it _had _just happened, and no science or fact of life was going to make the open blisters on her calloused palm disappear into the plain of reason. As much as he really wished that would happen so he could avoid a major headache later.

"Come on," Wally said, tugging her up with him by her good hand. He lead her back into the kitchen, grabbed the bar of soap there and began carefully lathering up her skin, apologizing softly for every hiss or noise of discomfort she made at him. He patted it dry when they were done, then dragged her back to the couch where he pulled out a tube of Polysporin.

Artemis stayed silent the whole time. Their eyes avoided one another, his focused on spreading the ointment evenly over the area of the red flesh and bumps. He could sense something radiating off of her body in waves, but he didn't trust himself to place a name to it; he was too busy trying to keep his hands from shaking.

When he began wrapping it up, meticulously winding bandages around her hand tightly, he chanced a glance up at her through the too long strands of red hair that hung over his eyes.

The blonde looked rather somber, all of her attention on the motions of him fixing the wounds, and he couldn't help but notice the way her eyelashes seemed to brush her cheeks when her head was tilted so low. They were long and dark blonde; he watched them feather over her skin as she blinked, then wondered why on earth a person would need lashes so long. What purpose could it possibly serve? It seemed obscene to him. Yet there they were, daring to be that long, to flutter across from him like they were nothing.

He cleared his throat, and finished tending to her in a rather uncomfortable silence, which unfortunately gave his brain free roam to come up with and shoot down all the possible explanations for the burn.

"All done," he said thoughtfully, putting the bandages away. She surveyed her wrapped up fingers and Wally blurted out, "Is this how it's always going to be?"

She seemed taken aback.

"What?"

He gestured wildly to her hand, to the couch, to her side. "This, you getting hurt very seriously and me having to drag out the first aid kit that normally collects dust? Because if this is how it's going to stay you might as well go ahead and buy an urn for my ashes cause I'm going to have a massive heart attack and HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?" he yelled, losing his cool. He ran both hands through his red locks, combing through enough times that he knew it'd make him look mad, but he didn't care. "I've never seen anything like this!"

The only explanation he could figure right now was that Artemis Crock attracted accidents to herself like protons to electrons. Like, maybe she was just so dead set on being in perilous situations that the universe had simply manifested itself into an outrageously impossible second degree burn on her hand?

Oh man, now he was talking nonsense.

_No. No there is a scientific reason for this and I am going to find out what it is! _Wally told himself firmly; and indeed, that trophy would be heading with him to work tomorrow, where he would spend his lunch break testng it in every way he knew of.

"Wally, what are you thinking?" Artemis demanded abruptly, jumping to her feet. Her facial expression challenged him, and he deflated, rubbing a hand across his face and shaking his head before staring at her in defeat.

"I'm thinking… I'm thinking that, ugh, I don't know. It was possibly some sort of really extreme allergic reaction? Has this… has this ever happened to you before?"

Artemis looked away from him. Somehow that was all the answer he needed.

"I need to go."

"Fine," Wally said. And the only reason he was letting her go without such a fuss on his part was because his brain wanted to kick into maximum warp overdrive on the situation, and he could see that his prying would only make her walls go up more and more. She was clearly very upset, and he couldn't blame her; if he'd been suddenly and inexplicably burned by a lukewarm silver trophy he'd be upset by the ludicrousy of it too. He stood up as well. "Just… promise me you'll go get that checked out? I really don't think this is the kind of thing you should just… ignore. It seems pretty extreme if it _is _an allergen of some kind."

Artemis was already walking toward his window. She had already slipped her fingers beneath the sill and lifted it up when she finally answered him.

"I will," Artemis growled out begrudgingly.

Then she was gone. And he knew she wouldn't actually go get it checked out.

"And I'm thinking I hope you're going to be okay…" Wally added in a whisper to himself, staring at the open window she'd disappeared through. He felt tired all of a sudden, but he knew he had some extensive research to start doing.

He fired up his coffee maker and went to find his laptop.

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis shut herself away from Wally.

Her burns healed in three days, thanks to her mother's impressive wolfsbane ointment, and then for two more days after that Artemis threw herself into patrolling the slums much more quietly, scoping out areas and then using the GCPD tip hotline to pass anonymous messages of concern for people on to officer Grayson. It wasn't the type of work she would prefer, especially when she was feeling antsy, balled up with stress or worry or anger.

Or any other emotion from the werewolf spectrum.

Artemis had always prefered taking her emotions out on people that deserved it, but thanks to her disaster with Ojo five days ago, she couldn't risk putting anymore of the innocent lives she was trying to help in danger just to stifle her passions.

Over the last month and a half she had actually begun finding comfort in texting Wally aimlessly when she was frustrated, but now that wasn't an option for her. She couldn't bring herself to answer any of the texts he sent, even if they were all so sincere and genuinely sweet that it made her heart ache for him.

After a while the messages stopped coming at all, following a simple text telling her that he realized she obviously needed some space from him, and he wouldn't pry, but he would be there still when she was feeling better.

That particular message tore guiltily at her insides; she'd nearly broken down and texted him back, but then she'd remembered the silver burns.

She just wasn't ready to face whatever judgements he'd come to about it. She wasn't ready for him to know what she was, and she was still wallowing in self-hatred for allowing her guard to slip so idiotically around a human.

Around Wally.

So the blonde turned her cell phone off, and slipped it into the drawer of her computer desk.

**o.o.o.o**

**Poor Artemis. **

**Shit's gettin' real son. Wally is going to come to some realizations next chapter, I can tell you that much!**


	14. Lycanthropy

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of its characters.**

**OH look more Dick Pov.**

**Waaaalllyyyyy!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 4,255 words**

**o.o.o.o**

"Heh, how about those two?"

Dick followed the direction Wally was pointing in, eyes alighting on a couple of women walking down the sidewalk as they chatted animatedly, their legs peeking out from some very short shorts. Dick rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that'll work asterously. Hey, why don't you go ask them what their favorite scientific achievement was this year? That always wrangles them in."

Wally scowled, his face flushing in the sunlight. "You know, there are plenty of women out there who would find that an interesting conversation starter."

"Oh, I know," Dick admitted, taking a sip of his soda. "It's something in your tone, I think. Like that time with Heather the intern? How was it you asked her?"

"Dick…" Wally warned, waving a french fry in his direction threateningly. Dick was not to be deterred though, ruffling his own dark hair so that it stuck up in some vague resemblance of the way Wally's tended to lay. The cop leaned his arm on the table in a casually suave manner, using his index finger to push his sunglasses down and wiggle his eyebrows.

"Babe, you are like an exothermic reaction, you radiate hotness."

"Dude, you weren't even _there_, how do you know I said that!" the redhead fumed, the color now spreading to his ears. Dick laughed loudly, earning some curious looks from the nearby patrons. Best bros though they were, life was not complete without making fun of the scientist at least once a week. Twice on the weekends.

"Bart told me."

"That little shit! I'll kill him!"

They lapsed into a silence, eating their meals at an outdoor table that sadly lacked an umbrella for shade. It was a dinky little place in central Gotham called _The Devil's Food_, which lived up to it's name by serving some of the fattiest, artery clogging crap known to humanity.

Which of course automatically made it a frequent place to eat for the two men when they got the chance to hang. And oh man, the apple pie they made there was considered such a deathbed inducing delicacy that most customers came for their dessert after lunch somewhere classier.

Wally shoved aside his now empty second plate of food, moving on to the third. People could stare all they liked but he would eat as many Gut Burster Burgers as he could stomach.

"Hey, you know, speaking of ladies, how are things going with Artemis," Dick asked casually, pushing his half eaten burger across the table to the scientist, who snatched at it happily before the cop could suddenly change his mind about the offering.

"Oh, um…" Wally murmured, swallowing his food thickly before rubbing uncertainly at the back of his neck. Dick immediately knew something was up. He wondered if maybe Wally had found out about Artemis, her tips and the lycanthropy...

He himself hadn't bothered mentioning anything at all to Wally about the situation down at the police station, about how they'd been getting loads of anonymous tips and tripled their patrols in the slums. Hell, not even the news stations found that tidbit of information useful for the public; it seemed the only thing about that territory they were interested in was death.

Dick was of the mind that Wally needed to figure things out for himself. Not only was it not Dick's place to rat Artemis out to the scientist, but he was tired of trying again and again without success to get Wally to believe in the possibility of actual werewolves.

It would take nothing short of proof discovered by Wally's own two eyes to get him to see the light, and even then he'd no doubt work himself up a scientific explanation for the phenomenon.

"What have you done to her?" Dick sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. Wally went on the defensive.

"Nothing! I just, you know, haven't heard from her in like a week…" he trailed off, averting his gaze from his friend. He glanced at the people around them, making sure they were a safe distance away from the two of them before leaning in to speak with a much more measured tone. "Uh, I guess I should tell you something…"

Surprised, wondering if Artemis had already told him about what she was, or that maybe Wally had figured out and then scorned her away or something for thinking she was crazy, Dick scooted closer to the table and listened to the tale of Artemis and the silver trophy.

And god, if he had needed any more confirmation that Artemis was in fact a werewolf, this was it. The moment Wally mentioned the smoke and her tears and the tarnished handprint left behind, he almost wanted to smack the scientist upside his thick skull for not seeing the proof right in front of him.

But of _course_, Wallace West was not to be altered in his stubborn opinions, and didn't let a little thing like silver burns convince him of supernatural goings on.

Dick could barely contain himself from saying something as Wally finished the story.

"So Artemis got _burned _by silver, and then she just… leaves and closes herself off?"

Werewolf. Werewolf. _Werewolf_. Was that so hard for Wally to understand?

Apparently so.

"Yes!" Wally exclaimed, looking lost and confused as he slumped against his chair, upset enough that he for a moment forgot to eat his food. "I have spent the last week studying the thing at home and at the lab. I sacrifice my lunch breaks for it, Dick, and I still can't understand how it happened."

"Woah, sacrificed lunch breaks. You must be at your wits end," he joked, though he was practically on the edge of his seat. He wondered where Wally was going to go with this.

"I am! I even got so desperate that I… uh…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed. He scrunched his face up and got it out fast, kind of like pulling a band aid off in one swift yank so the pain wouldn't be dragged out. "I went to the werewolf site Bart showed me at work."

Dick burst out laughing. He couldn't help himself.

"Oh my god, if I had known you were going to say that I would have brought a recorder!"

Wally threw a french fry, which incidentally smacked him right on the forehead and made him laugh even harder. This was all more than he could have expected to hear come out of Wally's mouth. Never in a million years would he have bet money on anything getting the redhead to visit a website dedicated to the the supposed actual existence of werewolves. A movie website for them, sure, but this?

That silver incident had really shaken him up, that was for sure.

"Don't get any ideas, I don't believe in werewolves any more than I did last week. I just got it in my head that people always say werewolves can't touch silver. And I tried to ignore the feeling but I finally broke down and texted the little twerp for his werewolf fanboy site."

"I bet he gave you hell for that one," Dick mused.

"Hell and a half," Wally confirmed, chomping into Dick's abandoned half of burger viciously. "Anyway, I started cross referencing some things I found there. With you know, legit medical conditions and such."

"And?" Dick prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"I found some interesting things. Mostly old folk tales about werewolves and similar. Stuff about how people used to murder wild wolves because they thought they were evil creatures. Silver allergies are pretty common, lots of men and women get rashes from certain types of jewelry in the rare case it's legitimate silver. So as far as today's medical prognosis goes there's nothing at all odd about metal allergies or severe sinus reactions to wolfsbane. Although some other things I looked up, like a desire to eat raw meat and the double canines some of these goons claim werewolves to have in human form, that was trickier. There were vague accounts of some homosapiens developing a double set of sharper teeth, and even more old tales about it. So when I looked all this stuff up it got me thinking pretty hard…"

"About?" _Just get on with it already._

"How in the olden days, before all these stories of monsters were considered myth instead of reality, people were much less educated about certain kinds of medical conditions or reactions. So I'm thinking this could be a rare medical condition, Dick," Wally explained, his passion for the subject rising to the point that he gestured very earnestly and nearly sent his soda cup onto the pavement. "I'm betting this is where the whole werewolf mythos came from to start with. There must have been people, or at least _someone _somewhere that was affected with all these symptoms of what we know as the common werewolf, and because people didn't know better it scared them and they jumped to the monster or demon or wrath of God conclusion! Thus, werewolves!"

He trailed off thoughtfully, beginning to murmur to himself so lowly Dick couldn't make head or tail of what he was saying. He had gone into full on science geek mode now, completely lost to the outside world, so Dick cleared his throat to bring him back down to earth.

"Wait wait wait," Dick interrupted, making a series of vertical gestures with his hands, a grin creeping up his face. "Are you telling me that you, Wallace Rudolph West, hater of all things illogical and nonsensical, despiser of magic, he who casts out any who believe in werewolves, he—"

"Alright, enough!" Wally groused, shoving some french fries into his mouth and chomping on them bad temperedly. "I get it already. I'm _not _saying I believe in werewolves, I already told you that! To reiterate, I'm _saying _I think there could be a medical condition that can be labeled as lycanthropy. MEDICALLY. You know, like elephantitis? Something maybe not even classified because now these supposed symptoms just don't even matter on their own. It's fairly normal. Do you understand?"

"I understand perfectly. Ha, knew you'd have a scientific explanation. Babs'll get a kick out of this one."

"Do you ever _not _tell her what I say?"

"Never," Dick chimed, sipping his drink again. "So, you think that Artemis might have this, ah, lycanthropy condition? Is that it?

_Wally you have no idea how close you are to the truth. _

"That's exactly it. She loves bloody meat, silver burns her, she's got weird sharp teeth and she's just so damn secretive… Living in this city with a bunch of nuts that think werewolves are real, and then her having all these symptoms together? That's probably why she was so against me taking her to the hospital that night I found her. It's all starting to make a lot of sense."

Dick nodded, glancing down the sidewalk at the people passing by. He wondered idly if any of them were werewolves. It alarmed him to imagine that the things had moved further into the city, but then there was a gentle reminder of Artemis and her tips; werewolves were obviously just like humans, some bad, some good, some just trying to live their lives.

What Wally was saying at least made some sense, even if Dick himself knew that werewolves were far more than a conglomeration of symptoms associated with the werewolf scares from long ago.

But if this was the best support he could get from his friend, then he was more than willing to take it.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Dick asked.

"I would like to. Artemis is really stubborn though, and I don't want to make her feel like some lab rat," he frowned, pushing the last remaining fry around on his plate. "I just want to be there for her. It might not seem so bad on the surface, but you didn't see her hand. I was fucking terrified; she just touched it for a second, could you imagine prolonged contact?" he shuddered violently. "I'm afraid to find out how severe other allergens could be. This is serious, I want to help her. Maybe the two of us could mess around in the lab, find something to help alleviate the reactions, make them more manageable, less life threatening. God, Dick," Wally sighed out, running a hand through his hair. "I'm a mess about her right now. What have I gotten myself into?"

Dick smiled.

"Something way bigger than either of us, I'd say. How about some heart clogging apple pie?"

"Oh man, two please."

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis Crock was done ignoring Wally. One week with no contact and she was about to go bananas.

It wasn't that the blonde had nothing to do outside of visiting Wally West or silently aiding the humans in the territory. She had spent most of her week blowing off steam at her favourite spot in the forest on the outskirts of Gotham, the one she usually reserved for visiting when she was feeling the urge to punch someone or scream. In fact it had served as her only outlet of privacy away from the pack before Wally had come along.

Now it seemed to be a home away from Wally, too, a place she could truly distance herself from everything.

Mostly she'd vent lowly to herself, or spend time clawing up the bark on the trees, or lying in the grass to watch the swathes of cotton clouds roll past while her lip jutted and her brow pinched into a scowl of dark thoughts.

There were white targets spray-painted messily onto some of the gnarled trunks, and Artemis kept a compound bow and some arrows stashed in a nearby fallen oak; sometimes the _best _medicine was filling the center of the targets full of arrows, imagining each one to be the face of one of the people she hated most.

It was from that particular sort of venture that she returned home late that night, limbs on fire and skin dripping with sweat. Her biceps were burning from the amount of shafts she'd let fly, but her mind had grown clearer with each thud of an arrow head penetrating into pliable wood.

She just wanted to talk to Wally again, to be with him in the lab, or in front of his tv, or stuffing food into their faces while they passively insulted each other and laughed.

Now that she had experienced what it meant to truly have a friend, and not just packmates that barely even tolerated her presence to start with, she realized how lonely her life had been without such a bond.

Which is what she knew she had with Wally. A bond. It was as if the time walling herself away from him had opened her eyes fully to it.

Wally West was her best friend, and she was just going to let him slip away because she was afraid of what he might think about what happened?

It had taken her a week to convince herself that with his logical mind and stubborn avoidance of things he couldn't explain with science, that he would either find an explanation that worked for him, or else completely ignore it in favour of keeping himself on the safer side of the mountain.

His text messages had barely mentioned what had happened, he had only been concerned for her well being, then respected her obvious need to be alone.

It was insane to think that not even two months ago she'd been so at war with herself over this man, over his foolishness and the danger he could be putting himself in. Yet now she was in war with herself to just get _back _to him no matter the cost of her well being or his.

She needed someone. For the first time in her life she needed someone besides her mom, someone she could trust to have at her back. And Wally West seemed like he could be—_was_—that person.

So she took her cell phone back out of her computer desk and powered it up. There were no new text messages, the last one having been his affirmation of her alone time. Something thick formed in her throat for some reason as she thumbed back to the main window, realizing there were a couple of voice messages instead.

Brows furrowing in confusion, she called it, then spent ten minutes angrily trying to figure out her password to listen to the damn thing.

Finally it played back, a message that had been sent earlier that day. It was Wally's voice that filtered into her ear, and she hadn't heard it in so long it made her close her eyes and smile at the sound of it.

Fenrir, she'd missed the dork.

"_Artemis, it's me, uh, Wally. Listen, I know that I said I would give you your space, and I'm still respecting that, but I needed to let you know a couple of things. Number one, I- my lab really misses you. The beakers are all dusty and the chemicals miss your sarcasm. Or maybe I'm the one collecting dust and missing your sarcasm? Einstein, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Uh, the main thing I wanted to say is… kind of ballsy actually. I really hope you don't get offended when I say this but—"_

The message ended abruptly, having run out of time. Artemis growled in anger at the device, but it announced the end of that message and then started in on another, which luckily continued the conversation.

"—_it needs to be said. I've noticed some… things. About you. Oh man, this sounds so creepy doesn't it? I just mean, when we hang, or when you, you know, get close to someone you always notice things about them, no big. It's just, I noticed your teeth! Er, I mean, the teeth. The canine ones? There's like two of them side by side on either side? Totally not a big deal, it happens. Uh, not a lot obviously but. Yeah. And then the meat. And the silver thing. And do you have allergies to Wolfsbane cause that—"_

"—_could also be a thing. Uuuuuuuh. Ugh, enough stammering, West. Artemis, the thing is I think you could have a sort of… medical condition, something that involves a lot of the symptoms associated with werewolves. I'm not saying you're a werewolf, that's ridiculous! But you could by definition be considered a sufferer of lycanthropy, in a medical sense. And it's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm not trying to like make you feel alarmed or ashamed about it. I kind of figured maybe this is why you seem kind of… closed off.—"_

"—_Look at the werewolf crazies you live around! I can't blame you. Er, assuming I'm right. Look I'm not trying to assume anything about you here, I just… got pretty shaken by the burn you got. So I did a little research on the subject and came to these conclusions. If I'm wrong you can totally beat me up or ignore me forever. I think I'd prefer being beat up, at least I could see- anyway, I just wanted to let you know we can work on a project together, just you and me doing some pharmaceutical pioneering. Er, trying to.—"_

"—_We can try to find a way to at least reduce the severity of the reactions. OR just find out more about your condition. Or something. Just… whenever you're ready, I'm here. I'm here for you if you want me to be. You're a good friend Artemis. I'm uh, glad I found you shot. Oh Einstein no I mean, not like that! No, okay, I'm done before I really piss you off. Good-bye, Artemis."_

Artemis listened to the messages again. So many emotions flitted through her like a kaleidoscope, weighing her down enough that she had to seat herself on her bed. First she felt happiness that Wally didn't hate her for avoiding him for so long, that he was still compassionate about her need to be alone. Second she felt sheer terror that he was so very close to hammering it all out, to knowing exactly what she was, what made her tick; her weaknesses, oh he knew all of her weaknesses and he thought them _allergies _of all things.

He had no clue about the severity of it, that silver leached into her system and poisoned her, that the only thing that had saved her twice from the toxicity of it was her mother's wolfsbane salve.

Artemis tightened her jaw, fists clenching on her tattered sheets.

Wally was offering to help though. Even if it wasn't for the reasons he thought, even if he aimed at the problem from the perspective of illness… it was something. She herself didn't even know the nature of her abilities; could Wally actually be onto something, on the right track at least?

Glorified allergies… somehow she didn't think so, especially with the little detail about her being able to turn herself into a gigantic wolf at her own will.

Still, a tempered excitement flooded her. The very thing she had been hoping for, Wally to use his pharmaceutical knowledge to help her find some answers. It was almost too good to be true.

This was a very important step in a direction she wasn't sure of, but she was ready and willing to see exactly where it could lead.

Artemis spent an hour creating a response and sending it to him.

_Wally, you're truly something, I hope you know that. I think I've been a little slow to admit it to myself, but you're a good friend too. A great one. My… best one, actually. But enough with the sentimental stuff, you're rubbing off on me. You have no idea how much it would mean to me if we could try and figure something out about me- for me, I mean. Don't worry, I won't beat you up dork, it's nice to have someone know about, well, whatever it is I have. Maybe I just have weird genetics? Either way, I can't wait to get started. I'll drop by tomorrow, and you can do whatever you need to do first; take my blood, subject me to a lobotomy—I am twenty-four years done with this shit. _

_Oh and, I'm sorry. About the distance. I was just frustrated for letting that happen, and afraid of what you might think about me. Not that I usually care about what people think, but… this was kind of different; _you're _different. A different case, I mean. Look, I figured if I told you, you'd think I was insane and try to have me committed somewhere. Nice to know that proved to be wrong._

_And you know what, Wally? _

_I'm here for you, too._

**o.o.o.o**

Their work began.

It was indescribable to be back in one another's company, and despite the nature of their project they felt closer to each other than ever before.

Wally took some of her blood, and began sneaking some of the more heavy duty equipment home from work when he could, claiming it was old stuff that just sat around and collected dust because new equipment had replaced it.

They discovered that Artemis's blood contained enzymes that weren't exactly human in nature, and upon further research Wally had pinpointed that these were commonly found inside the system of dogs and other carnivores, which helped them digest raw meat.

Instead of getting freaked out with her, it seemed that the more things they found strange about her, the more excited Wally got about the whole thing.

Like when the power went out on them one day, plunging them both into darkness. Wally had nearly screamed when her eyes glowed back at him like an animal's, so of course then he'd taken such a long look at her eye that she kept bumping into stuff for the rest of the day.

Artemis never once felt like a lab experiment around him. He was enthusiastic about helping her, not dissecting her from the inside out, and whenever he did something invasive like blinding her with the penlight, he allowed her to do the same to him in return.

He took his own blood too, then had an absolute fit when it turned out to be B- instead of AB+. Artemis had laughed herself into tears listening to him on the phone with his mother, grousing about how he had been lied to his whole life and he swore he never remembered being told by anyone that it was B-.

In the times they weren't in the lab they watched a lot of Wally's favorite classic movies, binge watched any series they could find that interested them both, and walked down a few blocks to buy the most delicious frozen yogurt Artemis had ever let caress her tastebuds.

They played more games of twenty questions, and she let herself open up more than she had in the past, finding that more and more frequently she didn't even have to pause to war with herself over an answer; it would simply spill from her lips as easily as breathing, then she'd ask him something and it was like a game of ping pong.

Artemis was happier than she had ever been.


	15. Uninvited Guests

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of its characters.**

**Double update for you guys. I'm kind of doing this as personal insurance because Warlords of Draenor comes out tomorrow and I am going to be hella distracted.**

**I now entreat you with my personal FAVORITE chapter of this entire freaking asinine fic!**

**SO FUN.**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 2,389 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Two weeks after Wally and Artemis had started their work, the blonde finally got to meet Dick.

It was really a remarkable feat that she hadn't already, but because of the two men's conflicting job schedules and Artemis's visits at random hours it just hadn't occurred. That had been just fine and dandy for Wally; he still had nightmares about cases in which the two met, sometimes involving Dick booking her for being a werewolf, and other times and much worse in his opinion_—_the two of them making out aggressively shortly upon meeting.

Just the thought of the latter made him shudder for some reason.

They were eating spaghetti sloppily that evening, watching _The Walking Dead _and having a good time making fun of some of the character's decisions as well as getting in a serious debate about the actual possibilities of a zombie apocalypse.

"Where would you hold out at?" Wally asked her, digging into his fourth bowl of sauce covered noodles; he had added meatballs in just for Artemis.

Separate, of course, because they were raw as raw could come.

"I guess somewhere practical. Like outside the city, in the countryside where there's less people. You?"

"The DMV," he answered promptly. Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Why? What good would that do you?"

"_Everyone _steers clear of the DMV," Wally said darkly, and laughed when Artemis threw a noodle at him. It curled around his freckled nose and dangled over his mouth, just close enough that he was able to get his lips around it and slurp it up. The blonde scoffed, but her smile said it all.

They had just finished taking their empty bowls to the kitchen sink when there was a knock at Wally's front door. Artemis frowned at him, glancing at the clock above his fridge, which declared that it was eight o'clock at night.

"You got a date or something you didn't tell me about, Wallman?" she asked. Wally's eyes widened at the suggestion. He hadn't dated anyone in a couple of years, despite his best efforts, so the idea that a girl was waiting for him on the other side of it was a little alarming.

Besides, Artemis had already claimed his wonderful company for the night; and women outside that door would just have to take a back seat.

Friends before impromptu dates.

That and sitting across from a woman he barely knew sounded a lot less fun than eating his weight with Artemis. Which was what they had in mind before the door-knocking so rudely interrupted.

"No, Beautiful, I swear, haven't dated in a couple of years," he was hasty to respond as both of them trekked together into the living room again just as more knocks sounded. "Coming, coming!" he yelled.

The only reason Artemis let him call her that nickname without scrunching her nose up in distaste was because of a movie they'd seen together one night. A movie about a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend, because he was from a rival ninja clan; that was the cliff notes version at the very least.

At any rate, they had joked about the characters having certain mannerisms that reminded them of each other, such as the ninja boyfriend being dorky—her words, not his—and the ninja girl being all hardcore—his words, not hers. Long story short, ninja boyfriend and ninja girlfriend wound up in a desert with amnesia, and the one thing that stuck despite the memory loss was his tendency to call her beautiful.

So one joke and a pillow in his face later, and Wally West was suddenly able to get away with calling Artemis Crock beautiful.

It was a great front. He thought she was beautiful anyway but he didn't want to squick her out since they were best friends and all. Even though it was okay to think your best friend of the opposite sex was beautiful. _Incredibly _beautiful. Like, walk through the bar casually and make all the guy's jaws drop to the floor beaut—ah, yeah.

So anyway that worked well enough, and there was always a 50/50 chance Artemis would either make a face at him or smile because of it. Well worth it.

"Wow, what a shock," she gasped playfully, something glinting in her eyes as she continued their conversation. "You mean your pasty legs don't bring any woman nerds to your yard?"

"Sadly, no. Their loss; I have killer calves," Wally responded with fake sadness, grinning when she chuckled raspingly at him while he turned the brass doorknob.

"Hey, dude," Dick greeted as soon as it swung open. "Got off work an hour early tonight, thought I'd bring you a little something for your 'project."

"I'm the one bringing you a gift, don't listen to him," came a second, feminine voice from behind the man's shoulder.

Wally scowled a bit when the cop moved through the threshold, closely followed by a woman that set Wally's blood pressure sky high with her presence. She sauntered in behind Dick.

They were both in what Wally could classify as "casual fancy" clothes, like the kind you'd wear on an easygoing date that didn't involve restaurants higher than three stars.

The only things that broke the image were Dick's beloved sunglasses and, of all damn things, a top hat situated at a jaunty angle on the woman's head, the kind a magician would wear. Her hair was dark and curly, and she was toting around a plastic bag that looked like it was full of wax petals.

"Wally, long time no see," she chirped when she sighted him.

"Not long enough," he insisted, closing the front door with a mild slam.

Zatanna Zatara owned a shop on Gotham's west side. It was a hole in the wall store that had been in her family for generations; the white paint was peeling around the door frame, and the perfectly pretty cursive letters that pronounced the place to be called S'arataz Nordluac were dull. It was a shop full of all the kinds of things Wally hated most. Magic, spell books, all kinds of strange and pungent herbs, ludicrous remedies for ailments that could easily be taken care of with a trip to the doctor, and so on. It consistently smelled of perfume and garlic and Wally just really couldn't stand it at all, yet he was a good wingman for his bud and walked in there with him when he wanted to flirt with the tenacious brunette.

The _delusional _brunette was more like.

Zatanna pursed her lips at him, but would not be deterred.

"Still in denial I see," she hummed. "Well, then I guess you won't be needing this wolfsbane."

"Wolfsbane?" Wally questioned, at the very same second that Artemis asked with more strain in her voice, "_Wolfsbane_?".

That outburst swiftly brought her to the attention of their visitors. The blonde's steel eyes dropped to the plastic covered herbs still in Zee's grasp, and as if noticing for the first time the metaphorical bomb in her hand, she quickly thrust them against Wally's chest. He grabbed them frantically, taking a few steps back to help defuse the situation a bit.

"It's okay, Artemis, I won't let the stuff near you," Wally promised. "Dick and Zee just want to help, you know. In their own weird way. That involves barging in unannounced with potentially lethal aconitum."

"Gesundheit," Zatanna said. "And you're welcome."

"I didn't—" Wally began hotly, but was interrupted by Dick, who had stepped around to hold out one of his hands for Artemis. She took it confidently, shaking it while he grinned.

"Hey, I'm Dick Grayson, I work for the Gotham City Police Department. I think Wally has been purposely keeping us from meeting. Bet it has something to do with all the dirt I have on him," he cackled, and Artemis smirked. The strange easiness of the interaction, as if they somehow already knew each other without his knowledge, had something hot twisting inside of Wally's gut, forcing him to set the wolfsbane package delicately on the floor near the door before striding across to the two of them.

"Yes, hi, and also goodbye," Wally interrupted forcefully, that heat in his stomach spurring him to do so.

"Wow, rude much?" Zatanna asked, one of her brows raised high.

"I'd classify bringing wolfsbane onto the premises rude. Oh, and coming over unannounced at eight in the p.m."

"Why?" the woman asked slyly, clicking her tongue against the inside of her cheek in amusement. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Yes, our sanity!" Wally cried, trying to fight down the flush in his cheeks. He knew exactly what Zatanna was implying, but he wasn't about to address it, especially when he caught Artemis's faintly pink tinted face. Best to avoid uncomfortable accusations like that. Einstein… the very thought...

"Mhm," Zee hummed happily, before turning her attention to the blonde. "I'm Zatanna Zatara, by the way. Artemis, what you need is a friend that doesn't have a penis. You know, someone you can have girl talk with? From what little I've heard about you, I think we could take the town between the two of us," she said conspiratorially, ignoring the sputtering noises Dick and Wally had made at her penis comment. She shushed them, continuing onward, throwing her arm over an amused Artemis's shoulders amiably. "You see, I know a _lot _of things. Spiritual, supernatural, political, you name it. I _especially _know things about those two over there. Stuff that would give you an edge over them. We're talking blackmail level good, just in case the need ever arises. Girls gotta have each others backs!"

Oh, Einstein, the evil grin Artemis shot his way made his insides melt into mush. This was _so _not going to be a benign alliance for the sakes of he and Dick.

"I like her," Artemis said, laughing. Wally groaned; they were all doomed. The entire town of Gotham was actually largely screwed. He punched Dick harshly on the forearm.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"This is all your fault. Why'd you even bring her here?"

"Because, non-believer, I just happen to be the only supplier of fresh wolfsbane this side of Gotham City. You're lucky you have me as an acquaintance," Zatanna pointed out, one hand going to her hip. "I wanted to make sure it got here safely for our werewolf friend."

"She's _not _a werewolf," Wally growled, offended by the boldness of the comment. How insensitive to refer to someone suffering from a legitimate condition as being the actual thing it's named after? Though in hindsight, Wally should have realized Zee was only here to help on her own terms, and those terms would be that Artemis was an _actual _werewolf that needed help. It made him seethe, but he tried to keep himself as calm as he could. "She has lycanthropy. A _medical _illness. There's a difference."

"Hmm, her aura tells me otherwise," the brunette said thoughtfully, eyeing the blonde scrutinizingly with one hand holding her chin.

"There's no such thing as auras!" Wally yelped, pulling at his red locks. "It's all magical mumbo-jumbo! Hey, did you know that in primitive cultures _fire _was once considered magical, too?"

"I feel we've had this conversation already," Zatanna sighed melodramatically.

"Three times, if my count is correct," Dick supplied helpfully. "Or maybe four. It's hard to keep up."

"There are no werewolves," Wally said firmly, crossing his arms in a gesture of finality. Zatanna just shook her head pityingly at him, and that made him even more angry, but honestly they could argue for ten years and statistics would agree that neither of them would change their minds unless something life-changing happened. As if.

"Look, I'm just saying I know a werewolf when I see one, conventional or otherwise."

"You know, I really hate being talked about like I'm not here," Artemis huffed in abruptly, crossing her arms underneath her bosom. Wally gaped at her, trying and failing to say something along the lines of an apology, but the words stuck in his throat. The way she was standing there all haughtily like that wasn't helping his brain get back on track either. Her pose was like the definition of Artemis Crock; her hip was cocked out to one side, her eyebrow was raised, her full lips were pursed, and he seriously couldn't help but notice how nice her chest looked all pressed up like that, straining perfectly against her deep green shirt.

Ugh, where did that even come from. It was a good thing mind-reading wasn't a thing because he was pretty damn sure that level of appreciation for a friend was a little reaching.

He cleared his throat.

"Sorry."

"Me too, and double sorry if I offended," Zatanna offered to her new friend sincerely. "You know, I'd like to talk to you alone a little, if you don't care. I have something to share with you, and yes, it definitely will involve an embarrassing tidbit of information about your redheaded non-believer."

"Stop calling me that!"

"You _are _a non-believer though," Dick laughed.

"Dick, why don't you and Wallace put that wolfsbane in his room somewhere so it won't cause any accidents, then you can chill on the couch and like, scratch yourselves or something. We won't take too long, I promise."

"You do know that guys don't actually scratch themselves like gorillas when they're hanging out, right?" Wally asked.

"And girls don't have naked pillow fights when they have slumber parties," Zatanna sing-songed sweetly, pushing Artemis toward the entrance of his kitchen.

"Touche," Dick said. "Come on, Kid Flash, give Artemis a chance to have a friend that 'doesn't have a penis'."

Wally opened his mouth to protest about all the horrible things that could transpire for them if Artemis and Zatanna became best friends, but Dick grabbed his arm and started to usher him in the opposite direction.

The redhead groaned inwardly, wondering how he and Artemis's friendly leisure night had turned into such a strange exchange. Out of all the ways he could have imagined Artemis meeting his best friend, it hadn't involved wolfsbane, comments about male genitalia, or Zatanna Zatara.

One thing was for certain, Artemis Crock was sure making his life interesting.


	16. Wolf Girl

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Sorry for the delay in updates, but that's why I provided two chapters at the same time last update. I have been having a lot of fun on Warlords of Draenor so I've been majorly distracted, but don't worry, I didn't forget you guys.**

**More fun with Zee!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 2,309 words**

**o.o.o.o**

"I _love _how you handle those two," Artemis snickered, padding over the threshold into Wally's kitchen.

The space was an absolute mess, covered in dropped noodles, splashes of sauce, and a pot that was already starting to crust over with lingering noodle water residue. One thing the blonde had fast learned about her companion was that he was the world's sloppiest cook; efficient, but messy.

Not that she was any better herself.

"It's a gift," Zatanna chimed, helping herself to the mega expensive refrigerator that dominated the corner. "Hm, no alcohol, that's a bummer. Soda?"

"Pass," Artemis said, highly amused by the woman.

It was plain to Artemis that Zatanna housed the type of personality she could get along famously with, especially considering how she kept the boys in line. Artemis herself prided on keeping Wally on his toes, though where Zatanna appeared to favour an extravagantly realistic approach to comebacks, Artemis preferred the blunt and sarcastic end of the spectrum; no finesse.

"So you, what? Do magic or something?" Artemis asked, leaning against the far wall. Her sharp ears could pick up Wally and Dick speaking in the other room, and her nose burned a little at the unwelcome scent she was fast learning to associate with wolfsbane. She'd never really had contact with the stuff outside of her mother's curative salve, and she wanted to keep it on the non-lethal level if possible; just the knowledge of it right across the span of a few feet was making her arm hairs prickle. "No wonder Wally went ballistic."

"Wally went ballistic because he's blinded by science," Zatanna said, popping the tab on a coke and taking a generous sip. She scowled at the aluminum, turned around and dug furiously in Wally's cabinets until she withdrew with a wine glass that had dust all over it. She blew it off and proceeded to pour the amber liquid into it. "Anyway, I'm more than just the daughter of a man in a long line of highly skilled magicians, Artemis. Or wolf girl. Can I call you wolf girl when Wally's not around? I think the irony is hilarious."

"You can say it in front of him if you want," Artemis snorted, and the two shared a laugh. The blonde was surprising herself with how relaxed she was getting around all these humans… no, these people. They were just people, like her, and besides they hadn't rejected her so far. Would they not have already if they were going to?

_But they don't know the _real _truth_.

Zee blew at the fizz topping her glass and took a sip before continuing on.

"I run a shop full of every supernatural odd and end you can think of. Ancient home remedies, books about monsters, and all that kind of stuff. Don't listen to the people that tell you it's all bullshit, they were the first ones in my shop when these werewolf news stories started cropping up bad a few years ago," she laughed. "If there's one thing I've learned though, it's that it's all about the presentation," the brunette carried on knowledgeably. "If people think you _seem _phony, they won't listen regardless. That's why I don't use any tricks in my store; it's all genuine. No crystal balls, no smoke machines, no rigged table. It's all in the palms, don't let anyone fool you."

As the woman blathered on a little about her methods and how she "saw it as a service to extend her resulting genetic know how of all things grandiose and unexplainable to the general public", Artemis scrutinized her, as she was apt to do with every person she met.

Zatanna seemed to be steeped in all things mystical, and that was perhaps why the blonde was feeling so naturally at ease here, even about the wolf girl nickname, and the fact that she had chalantly referred to her as a werewolf earlier. It had been earnest, and Artemis realized then that the brunette was a true believer of such things.

Everything from Zatanna's seemingly inborn extravagancy to the overpowering scent of ancient spices, lavender, and something earthy that clung to her clothes was enough to ensure the blonde that unexplained things flocked to her.

There was also just something about her, maybe an aura like she had mentioned to Wally earlier; an unexplainable thing that clung around her being, making her seem almost otherworldly herself.

So Artemis wasn't surprised at all when Zatanna finished the brief detail about herself and called the woman out.

"By the way, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm not remotely fooled by the science crap Wally is feeding himself. I know you're a real werewolf. The supernatural kind detailed in books."

A few months ago if someone, especially a human, had called her out for what she was, Artemis probably would have either tried to deny it vehemently or tried a more threatening approach for her own safety. She would have reminded them that nobody would believe them if they told, that they'd get thrown into an asylum before they could get the whole story out. It was a cruel tactic, and maybe not so true in this town teeming with more and more werewolf conspirators, but it was the only options she had short of killing the accuser.

Which she sure as hell would never have done, unlike the rest of her kind.

Artemis threw her head back and laughed at the irony of Zatanna and her words; the first person to seemingly clue into the reality of her condition and it was a magic shop owner that was spot on. No hesitation, no being polite about it, no insisting she had straight up evidence like others tried to insist to authorities when they thought they'd seen a werewolf.

Just the truth with no pleasantries attached.

So Artemis just shrugged.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Like neon," Zatanna confirmed. She grinned. "Don't worry, I'm the best possible person you could've run into by chance; I'm in on all of it. The werewolves downtown, the murders. These amateurs trying to solve the crimes with their limited knowledge are what cause the authorities to dismiss. Well, _some _cops believe. Like Dick, you know."

Artemis's eyebrows rose. She had known that Dick at least considered werewolves a legit possibility, and he'd proven a wonderful ally thanks to her anonymous tips. But it was one thing to see it as just a possibility, and another entirely to admit full confidence in the reality of it.

"Dick knows? About everything? I mean, I heard from Wally how he felt about the situation but… he knows about _me _too?"

"Well, he does now that I've confronted and you've pretty much confirmed. He had a strong feeling, especially when you started sending him those anonymous tips. Yeah, he recognized it as you from Wally's texts and put two-and-two together. He's not a detective for nothing," Zatanna said, draining the last of the soda from her fancy glass before pouring the other half of it in. She swirled her finger along the wet rim, creating a faint ringing sound that hurt Artemis's ears but made the magician look satisfied. "So I guess you noticed that leaves the most important piece on the ouija board in the dark?"

Panic surged through Artemis's system.

"You can't tell Wally!" she insisted, pushing herself off the wall and clenching her fists. She could still faintly hear the boys talking and rummaging around in the redhead's bedroom; the faint tones of Wally's voice accompanied with the current direction of the conversation made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn't count the number of nightmares she'd had just in the past few weeks that had depicted a disgusted Wally turning his back on her and her incriminatingly hairy palms.

Zatanna just looked amused at Artemis's reaction, adjusting her top hat once again.

"Oh, I'm not going to, wolf girl. First of all he wouldn't believe me, and second of all it needs to come from _you_. Even I can see that," she said slyly. Artemis caught the mildly suggestive tone and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean? _You _didn't seem worried about confronting me about it."

"Please, me and Dick are nothing," Zatanna laughed. "Wally's your important one. You know, the major guy in your life? The one that apparently thinks you are, and I quote from Dick's texts from him: "stubborn and hard to get through to, but so amazing and beautiful and smart and cool and fun, and such a spitfire."

Artemis scowled, a faint heat rising inexplicably to her cheeks. Wally had said those things about her? So what. He called her beautiful because of their dorky little ninja movie inside joke, and he could call her stubborn all he wanted but he was the truly stubborn one. As for the other things, well, she didn't have an inkling of what being a spitfire meant, but if he had used it to describe her it could only be a word for unreasonable. That seemed to be his favorite thing to call her when she was feeling less than cooperative with any sort of arrangements _he _found perfectly agreeable.

Those were all just… words. Cool, smart, amazing, fun. Common everyday words that anyone could use to describe another person.

"Once again, his words, totally not mine," Zee hummed at Artemis's apparent lapse in ability to form words. The blonde crossed her arms.

"I don't catch your point," she growled out, waving one of her hands at the wall opposite her. "Yeah, he's a big part of my life, he's my best friend. And best friends notice things about each other, just like anyone else. I mean, I can describe him the same way. He's smart too, and bull-headed, and he never makes noodles right, and he's got these ridiculously pasty legs but they're stupidly toned because he ran track in high school. And he acts so dumb sometimes that I think his hair is actually made out of fire so his brain is getting fried. Anyone would notice any of the things I just pointed out about him. Big deal."

Zatanna had the biggest smirk on her face. "Mmhm, if you say so, wolf girl."

Okay, so the end of this discussion.

"Look, back to the point. I can't tell Wally right now, it's just not a good time. He's got this fragile ego when it comes to science and if I peel it away I might break him."

She said it lightheartedly out loud to her, yet her eyes cast down to the tiles when she was done, her heart filling with a sick sense of rejection when images from her nightmares resurfaced in her mind's eye.

Zatanna must have noticed because she cleared her throat and spoke a bit softer, her voice suddenly oozing with a compassion that until this point had been overshadowed by her center stage personality.

"Artemis, if there's one good thing I can say about Wally West, it's that he never abandons his friends. Whenever you think the time is right, I can personally guarantee you he may smoke at the ears, but he'll be there for you."

_Just… whenever you're ready, I'm here. I'm here for you if you want me to be. You're a good friend Artemis._

The words from Wally's text weeks ago were practically imprinted onto her retinas.

Artemis lifted her head up, intent on replying to the brunette's attempt at soothing her inner turmoil, but just then a loud crash issued from across the apartment. Both of them to started and ran to the threshold of the kitchen, poking their heads out to see what was going on.

"Damnit, Dick, that was my favourite mug!" Wally groused, stomping out of his bedroom with the largest chunk of what had once been a ceramic coffee cup that said "World's Best Scientist". He pointed to the man following him out of the room, glaring at Zatanna. "Remove him from the premises! And yourself, too."

"Come on, Wally, those things are a dime a dozen, I can have you a new one by noon tomorrow," Dick tried to console, though the amusement etched plainly on his face told both women that he was just inwardly laughing at the whole thing. At their questioning gazes, he thumbed in Wally's direction. "I accidentally hit it with my elbow. I think he's about to cry."

"I'm not!" he shouted from the kitchen, which he had disappeared into behind the two ladies.

"It was from his uncle," Dick whispered conspiratorially.

"Ah, that explains it," Artemis nodded, then the three of them laughed. They all shared this odd, silent communicative look between them, and the blonde felt a strange sense of relief to have two more people on her side.

The only downside was that the person she wanted most on her side was not even here to share the look.

As if sensing her pain, Dick placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll come around," he whispered, winking at her.

"Of course he will," Zee chirped. She had pulled a pen and a piece of paper seemingly out of thin air, and was scribbling some of her information down. She handed it to Artemis with a flourish, winking and tipping her hat with a smile.

"If you ever need anything from my shop, I'll give it to you at a discount. Flat out free if it's about you, if you know what I mean. Now, my number is there and the address, and I believe Dick and I must flee now."

"Right," Artemis said, nodding, reading the information off of the slip of paper. "Will do. Nice to meet you guys."

"Likewise!" Zee exclaimed, and bowed herself right out the front door.

"_Au revoire, wolf girl!"_

**o.o.o.o**

**Yay, friends! Spitfire stuff happenin' soon, awwww yes.**


	17. Wolfsbane

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters. **

**Some more shit goin' down. Some science stuff too. Me and my Veggy (IronicVeghead) tried to research as much of this as we could and this is what I settled on. I hope it's clear enough, and I realize it might not be the most scientifically correct thing in the world but I'm applying science to werewolves so I think we can allow some leniency here when it comes to the science applied. XD **

**Onward!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,988 words**

**o.o.o.o**

"You could have just gone to the pet store," Wally muttered for the fifth time that evening, eyeing the dirty furred white rat that moved around agitatedly inside of it's cage. "It's probably diseased. If this thing gets loose I could get _fined_."

"It's fine," Artemis insisted moodily, standing a few paces behind him. Even though the redhead couldn't know it, the rat was indeed in fine shape, if a little emaciated. Her nose was excellent at tracking down victims in less than prime condition, and as far as she could tell there were no questionably foul odors emanating from the rodent that indicated illness.

Other than typical back alley trash aroma.

"You keep saying that yet I don't believe you," he said. "Seriously why not just a pet store?"

"There's a rat problem near my block, I snatched one of the traps," Artemis stated with finality.

The truth was she had caught it herself, with her own two hands. Assuming her wolf form and waiting patiently for around thirty minutes in an alleyway had yielded her with much faster results than if she'd set out a cage to bait the damn thing. It hadn't even detected her presence until she was snatching it up in clutching claws.

"Now will you just focus over there?" she sighed, amused by his repetitive worry.

The redhead turned to look at her over his shoulder, green eyes concealed by safety goggles. She raised an eyebrow at him, fingers digging into her bicep.

For their first true trials Wally had taken another sample of Artemis's blood about a week ago. He had spent that time looking closely at it, his main goal apparently to "isolate the IgE antibodies" in her blood that were responsible for her severe allergic reaction to wolfsbane. Then, he decided they needed to inject a rat with those IgE antibodies, thus exposing it to her condition, after which they could test a typical dose of antihistamines to see if they would help the rat when exposed to powdered wolfsbane.

"It won't work," Artemis had supplied, scowling at the needle disappearing into her flesh. Dark crimson blood filtered into it slowly, Wally's tongue caught cutely between his teeth as he focused on it.

"Trial and error," he'd chimed, flicking the syringe full of her blood with satisfaction. "We start with the basics and work our way up, even if you've tried antihistamines before."

"Just trying to save you some time there, _doctor _fire head," Artemis had chirped, pinching his arm roughly between her fingers so he would suffer the stinging she had. He'd yelped and rubbed the spot, and she'd smirked with approval.

Not that Wally could know it, but the endeavour of having her blood drawn had been incredibly draining on her system this time around, because she'd made herself focus very hard on the desire to _be _a werewolf without changing her outward physical aspect. Artemis had never infected another human being with her affliction, but she was very aware of the capacity. Her bite was completely harmless unless she willed it otherwise, much like a snake had the capacity to inject it's prey with venom, but only if it so desired.

Human or werewolf form, Artemis had to _want _it, had to want whatever it was that invaded into her blood and saliva and took over victims from the inside out.

Since the blonde was hardly an expert on how her own mysterious body worked, she'd decided to take the risk and give him infected blood for this particular part of the experiments. For all she knew, there was a fundamental difference in her human blood versed her beast blood, but the only way she could ever be sure was to let Wally test it and see what he could find.

She was more than just a little excited at the prospects of finding out exactly what made her tick inside, and if giving Wally blood that could very well alarm him on a microscopic level was what it would take, she was more than willing to give it to him.

Though it _had _been scary how close she'd come to just loosing it and bursting right out of her skin in front Wally. Her muscles had rippled and her blood had felt hot, infectious in her veins, saliva filling her mouth; if she had so chosen to bite him in that moment, he would have succumbed and became like here. Luckily Artemis had reeled herself in, and Wally had taken her intense grip on the seat to be that of incredible dislike for needles instead of her trying to change the very makeup of her blood.

So now she was standing behind Wally West a week later, nervous because of the crushed up wolfsbane sitting in a mortar on the lab table, and the irrational worry the rat would suddenly explode into a vicious man-eating wererat… thing.

But it had been an hour since injection of the antibodies and so far the only significant change had been in the animal's temp, which suggested to Artemis that her "venom" was more lethal than she realized.

Artemis knew for a fact that the rat would most likely die from infection within twenty-four hours; animals just didn't have the physiology to change the way humans did, for whatever reason. Instead the saliva or blood of a werewolf was an ensured death sentence for all the furry little creatures of the forest.

So basically she was no Snow White.

"You can come back over to the work table, by the way, I scooted the wolfsbane closer to myself," Wally told her, messing with a few things on the white surface. Artemis just hummed a little in acknowledgement, tilting her head to watch him hunch over the table in concentration.

_Observe, the Wally West in his natural habitat… _she thought amusedly to herself, eyes dropping down to appreciate his ass before she caught herself and shook her head. She cleared her throat, coming up with pursed lips, resting her palms on the table.

"Are we ready to expose this thing to that crap or what?" she prodded, smelling the fear emanating right off the rat's mangy fur. It had been assailing her nostrils ever since she caught it, and it was starting to get on her nerves; she hated that smell, both for what it meant and because it stank to high heaven.

"I think so, got the antihistamines ready," Wally told her, picking up a syringe of clear liquid and flicking his finger against the glass a few times. He looked at her through the liquid, which offered her a distorted view of his face. He frowned a little, tilting it aside. "Are you okay? You look kind of tired. We can stop for tonight and just pick up tomorrow if—"

Artemis held out two of her fingers, pressing them against his lips because she could feel one of his famous babbling spiels coming on. His chapped lips twitched beneath the warmth of her digits, a small upset noise emanating from his throat.

"Wally, I'm fine. We are definitely _not _quitting before we've tried anything at all. So quit worrying about me and rub some wolfsbane all over that rat's face already."

Wally didn't look too convinced or happy about it, but he set the antihistamines down and grabbed the mortar full of crushed wolfsbane. Artemis tried her best not to flinch away as he did, but the instinct overpowered her and she took a half-step back, watching as he carefully gathered some up on the end of a q-tip. She watched in anticipation as he transferred the object over to the wire cage, threading it between one of the tiny squares and waiting for the animal to come over and smell of it's own accord.

The redhead had shifted over to her side of the table where the rat rested, so she quickly moved to his, peeking over his shoulders to see what happened. It took the rat a frustrating amount of time to pad over to the q-tip, but finally it made it's way over, squeaking and snuffling frantically at the soft cotton.

Both of them tensed. Artemis grabbed at one of Wally's shoulders to keep herself steady.

"Come on…" Wally muttered. "Give us something to work with."

A minute later, the rat sneezed.

It brought it's front paws up to rub at it's nose and mouth. It sneezed again, washing more agitatedly at the area. Then it started to squeal and sneezed more, contorting the front of it's body in ways that suggested some sort of pain.

"It worked!" Wally shouted louder than necessary, whooping. The action jarred his shoulders backward, causing Artemis to be knocked away from him.

"Damnit!" she yelled, her arms flailing, one of them catching the table hard, palm hitting the edge of something unyielding that turned out to be the _Fenrir forsaken _mortar.

It toppled and spun before Artemis could register what the hell was going on, then next thing she knew a fine dusting of powder slapped her right across the nose, mouth, and eyes. She felt blinded, stifled by the stuff, and rasped out in a panic, inhaling it right down into her lungs.

Artemis couldn't breathe. She coughed, trying in vain to expel the plant from her system, but it was far too late. Molten fire flared up inside of her, licking away at her internally until her eyes began to water.

"_Artemis! _Oh god—!" she distantly heard Wally scream, but he was the last thing on her mind.

The blonde sank to her knees, kneeling on the carpet, coughing and sneezing until her head hurt, sucking in great gulps of air to try and soothe her throat. Her nose ran, all sense of smell eradicated by the intense burning sensation that followed in the wake of every tiny particle of the powder. She forced her flooding eyes open, choking and hacking, noticing the powder all over the carpet right in front of her. The shit was everywhere and she couldn't get away.

Artemis was being suffocated in the deepest, fiery pit of hell.

Her throat felt tight, her oxygen intake snatched away from her until the edges of her vision started the blurr. But then there was a sharp prick in one of her thighs, stabbing through the thick material of her jeans and penetrating into the skin beneath.

In a fit of instinctual defense, Artemis managed a strangled snarl that bubbled up ferally from somewhere deep inside her, the beast that writhed in agony within her. She pushed out at Wally who had apparently been crouching beside her and he yelped, stumbling back against the wall. The blonde wrapped her fist around the syringe sticking out of her thigh, flinging it against the far wall before falling to her side on the floor.

She blacked out.

**o.o.o.o**

Wally scooped Artemis up into his arms without any hesitation, draping her legs over his forearm. She was still breathing, thank Einstein, but that didn't stop his limbs from shaking as he carried her out of the lab.

It had all happened so fast he was still trying to process it; all he knew was that Artemis Crock had been hurt once again. Hear head lolled against his arm, her lips and cheeks swollen with a ruby sheen. He could still see the dampness of tears causing her long blonde lashes to stick together, faint tracks tracing down, only noticeable because of the fine lavender dust still camouflaging her.

He absently brushed it off of her, knowing he needed to remove every bit of it or else she'd just have another reaction. So he veered straight for the kitchen sink, first depositing Artemis in a chair, sure to lean her slightly against the table for support. He grabbed a washcloth from the drawer, soaking it through with warm water and returning to her.

Wally crouched down on his knees, tucking a loose strand of her blonde hair out of the way before setting about cleaning her face. He was careful with her skin, knowing it would be sensitive, yet despite that she still came to enough to moan pitifully, making his heart clench.

"It's okay, Artemis, I've got you, I'll get you cleaned up, everything's fine," he murmured, concentrating on getting in the crescent shapes of her closed lids, then slowing as he came to her full lips. They were parted lightly, pulling little pockets of air in for her lungs, at least enough that she wasn't asphyxiating right in front of him. He swallowed as he patted the dust away from the sensitive pink flesh, mesmerized by the barely audible pop the lower lip made each time he swiped the rag down on it and it sprang back up to it's counterpart.

_Artemis… _he thought, swallowing again.

He could have strangled himself for letting this happen in his own lab. He had _always _prided himself on being very strict with the safety rules when they worked together; safety in the workplace was a West priority that even Artemis's stubborn insistence couldn't thwart. Yet here she was, struggling to breathe and only a fraction conscious, her brows furrowed in deep discomfort. If he had at least enforced his safety glasses rule that would have been one less area she was suffering in.

He was an idiot for letting her within five feet of wolfsbane to start with.

Beating himself up wasn't going to make her better though, so he'd save the rest of that for later.

Wally finished removing the threat from her face. Then embarrassingly, he was forced to unbutton her shirt to make absolutely certain none of it had gotten on her skin there. It was a good thing he had thought to, however, because the powder had found home on the top of her chest and the delicate swell of her breasts poking out from a veridian bra.

With cheeks a bit warm, he removed her shirt, folding it up and laying it on the table after shaking out all the powder he could; putting it back on her just wasn't worth the risk.

He took care of her chest, trying not to let his mind wander too much as he followed the curve of each breast loosely with the washcloth. He noted with a sense of enjoyment of knowledge that she had two cute little moles on the rise of her left one. He cleared his throat at himself, peeking down into the little gap between them to check for powder there, but there was none.

Finally.

He picked Artemis back up.

She was waking up a bit more now, her eyes trying to pop open for a moment before they shut again, her cheek pressing against his chest and one hand coming up to clutch feebly at his shirt.

"_Damnit_, Artemis," he fussed at her, scowling as he got her deposited on his couch. "You can't keep doing this to me. I told you I'm going to have a heart attack if this is a thing and I _meant _it."

She didn't respond, chest rising and falling deeply.

Wally bit at his lip, a thought occurring to him. It seemed the antihistamine was _trying _to do it's job, but he wondered...

Could there be something helpful in one of Zatara's werewolf books? He hated to even consider it a possibility, but so far it seemed like every myth about werewolves translated in some way, shape, or form to Artemis's lycanthropy condition.

So then, feasibly, could some kind of supposed remedy for ailing werewolves hold a hint of further relief for Artemis?

"Oh man…," he whispered, hearing the wheezing breaths from the blonde; that spurred him to actually do it. "I can't believe I'm seriously going to do this…"

But with Artemis's life in question, there was no length he could see himself not going to, to make sure she came out for the better. Even if the only way was to get vaporized right out of existence, the thought of her being gone made his heart shudder in his chest.

It just wasn't even worth thinking about at all.

So he texted Dick.

_What's Zatanna's shop number?_

**o.o.o.o**

The phone rang seven times before Zatanna Zatara bothered to pick up. She had been so busy cleaning up for the night that she hadn't deigned the ringing important until _after _she'd placed the last spell book on it's rightful shelf.

And on top of that, it was after hours so she wasn't obligated to answer for customers that couldn't find the time during the acceptable hours posted on the front of the door.

Still, she picked it up, answering with a slight clip in her voice.

"Hello, you've reached S'arataz Nodluac's shop for the supernatural, this is Zatanna Zatara speaking. I'm afraid you've contacted me after hours, I—"

"Zatanna stop acting professional, this is an emergency!" came Wally's irritated voice from the other end. Her eyebrows rose in shock.

"Well, well, this is a surprise," she hummed, "How did you even get my number?"

"Dick. I need to ask you a huge favour."

"Woah there, non-believer. I can't just hand out favours, especially when you make it very clear you think I belong in an asylum for the insane," she responded, twiddling the phone cord between two of her fingers. What could she say, she liked being a little old fashioned. "That's not how things work."

"The favour isn't _for _me, it's for Artemis!"

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner? I'll help wolf girl, what's the situation? Need more wolfsbane? Claw clippers? Is she howling at the moon?"

"Zatanna this is serious, Artemis got exposed to wolfsbane in the lab!" His voice was so desperate, it cracked with the weight of it, and Zatanna found her sense of compassion rearing it's head. She knew the situation couldn't have been a good experience for either of them, and it made her all the more sad to know Wally still thought this werewolf thing was all a joke. Or, a science; interchangeable, really.

At any rate, Artemis needed him, and needed him to know more than anything right then and there.

Zatanna put the phone down without saying a thing to Wally. She walked briskly over to the 'W' section of the shelves, thumbing through a couple before she found the title she was looking for. As she made her way back to the front desk, she could hear Wally shouting viciously into the phone; she couldn't tell if he was freaking out because she wasn't answering, or angry because he knew she'd walked away in the middle of their conversation.

"Calm your tits, West," she said into the phone, cradling it between her ear and shoulder. She opened the thick tome, perusing the table of contents until her blue eyes landed on the section titled 'Weaknesses', then the subsection 'Wolfsbane', then the subsubsection, 'Uses and Counters'. Clicking her tongue, she moved through the pages.

"What are you doing? I hear paper."

"Shush."

Wally grumbled something murderous to himself, which she ignored, scanning through the book until she found exactly what she was looking for. There was a tiny section on things that werewolves had been known to be able to do for themselves to relieve the pain imposed upon them from their natural weaknesses.

Ironically enough, small amounts of wolfsbane were useful for leeching poison out of the body.

For wolfsbane poisoning itself though, well…

"Hmm. That's interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"This is going to sound absurd to you, but try putting some salt on her tongue," Zatanna said as reaching as she could, knowing it would be a hard thing for him to swallow. Sure enough he gave a scathing laugh into the mouthpiece, one that made her smirk, because she knew that he'd wind up doing it anyway. He was only wasting his own time trying to exert his non-believer crap.

"_Salt_? What the hell is salt going to do? Don't you have a _real _remedy?" he snapped. There was a weak cough from his end of the conversation, and the both of them fell silent for a second. A growl issued from Wally, one of relent. "Hang on a second," he hissed.

"None of that sea salt stuff," she said loudly, hoping he could still hear her. "It has to be the real deal. Table salt. NaCl as you might know it."

"Did I just hear science come out of your mouth?" came his faint reply; a loud clatter sounded out, followed by a curse.

"It occasionally happens, yes."

"Okay, so… what do I do? Just… force her mouth open and sprinkle some on her tongue? Einstein that sounded so stupid," he bemoaned, back at the phone once more. Zatanna laughed even in spite of the situation.

"Basically, but you might have to pull her tongue out a little if it's not already. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little spit? You two have swapped it, I'm sure," Zee said, nodding sagely to herself. An earsplitting crash made her swear, yanking her ear away from the phone before the sound could permanently impair her hearing. Lot's of garbled sound followed, eventually ending in Wally's vehement denial.

"No, we haven't!" he growled. She could practically hear the color rising in his cheeks. If there was one thing Zatanna Zatara loved to do, it was embarrass the crap out of two people that should so obviously be together that it hurt.

Wally and Artemis were no exception.

"No? That's a bummer for you I guess."

"No, because I don't _want _to kiss her!"

"I find that hard to believe."

"Ugh, just standby in case this doesn't work," Wally said. He shifted around on the other end, then a few minutes later he breathed lighter into the mouthpiece, sighing. "I don't know how or why but she's already starting to breathe better."

"I can tell you why," Zatanna offered.

"That won't be necessary," he said hastily. Then, more serious. "Thanks, Zatanna. Seriously."

The brunette smiled. "Anything to help our wo— Artemis. I'm going to send Dick to you with this book sometime soon. Don't pitch it out your window, it can be useful, as you've just bared glorious witness."

Wally scoffed. "Fine. Whatever. Good night, Zatanna."

"Goodnight, Wally. Don't let the werewolves bite."

"Don't let the cimex lectularius bite."

**o.o.o.o**

Wally exhaled, relief finally fully settling over him as the moon dumped it's shining light through his cracked living room blinds. Artemis was sleeping soundly, her breathing much more regular, the swelling around her face gone for the most part.

His body ached with tiredness as he watched her chest rise and fall evenly under the blanket he'd draped over her; incidentally the same one he'd used when he'd housed her that very first night. There was still dried blood patches in the material that even vigorous laundry sessions with copious amounts of bleach hadn't been able to remove.

He had a forboding feeling that was going to become _her _blanket.

Moonglow framed the blonde's relaxed face, making him think sleepily that she was gorgeous, like an angel framed with that golden halo of hair. He leaned over to brush loose strands away from her, tucking them behind her ears. She stirred marginally, said something that sounded faintly like his name, but he couldn't be positive. He was too wiped out from the event to care about anything but how peaceful she looked.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he murmured lethargically into the room at large, collapsing where he leaned across her from the far end of the couch. He nestled his head against her chest, his arm draping over her abdomen.

Wally fell asleep shortly thereafter, lulled into a sense of security by the sound of her eased breathing.

**o.o.o.o**

**Poor Arty, even when she's practically dying she still fights whatever it is; my bamf lady ain't no damsel! **

**Anyway, thanks to all of you for keeping up with this... *wrinkles nose*. I won't say what I think about my own fic... but anyway. THANKS for the continued reviews and such, keeps me going.**


	18. Recovery

**Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Well, this is officially the sort of halfway point of the fic here, maybe a bit over half. I think momentum picks up pretty quickly throughout the upcoming chapters leading into the end. **

**Anyway in this chapter it's FLIRT CIT-AAAAYYYY!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,157 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Wally awoke with fingers threaded through his wild morning hair.

He yawned sleepily, at first not remembering what had happened the night before, but then it rushed back to him. He turned his head to see Artemis snoring like a gorilla, her hand resting on his head, tangling in the locks.

He couldn't be sure if she'd moved her hand there in her sleep or if she'd woken up at some point and petted through his hair.

The thought made his cheeks tingle with a pleasant feeling.

By the time she woke up he had an easy breakfast of oatmeal ready for her, along with a tablespoon and salt shaker. It was clear from the moment she cracked her eyes opened that she was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was running, and when she spoke to him her husky voice was huskier than it had ever been, a telltale sign of a sore throat.

"How are you feeling, Beautiful?" he asked, bringing the bowl of oatmeal over. He sat down in a chair he'd brought from the kitchen, giving her a moment to wake up fully.

"Like shit," she rasped, rubbing at her eyes. "Oooooh, my head is _splitting_."

"Wolfsbane'll do that to you," Wally told her a little sadly. Her tired gray eyes flicked to him, narrowing. Wally couldn't even take it. "Artemis, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"Can it," the blonde demanded, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She coughed, scrunching her eyes closed and clutching her throat through the resulting pain before continuing. "Don't go there, Wally. It was an accident, no one is to blame. And don't make me talk so much, it hurts like a bitch."

He sighed, holding out a spoonful of oatmeal for her. Artemis looked affronted, leaning away from it.

"I'm not crippled, hand that over."

"Fine," Wally groused, setting the bowl on her lap. He turned around in his seat, grabbing the salt shaker and spoon he'd left sitting on the coffee table. He poured the entire thing full, aware of Artemis watching him with a look of concern for his sanity on her face. "At least let me give you this."

"Salt? Why?"

"It's a long, painful story. Please, Artemis? I'll leave you alone after, just take it. It'll help."

Artemis eyed him. She pursed her plump lips, eventually shrugging and opening her mouth. Wally put the spoon in and her lips closed around it. There was a pause, their eyes catching, and Artemis's cheeks turned pink. She took the salt from the silverware, swallowing it and making a face at the concentrated taste.

"Gross."

"And helpful," he stated matter-of-factly, his own face a bit warm.

"Whatever."

**o.o.o.o**

Artemis got worse before she got better.

The second day was hell; she spiked a pretty high fever, coughing and sneezing and making her sore throat even worse. Wally insisted it was the wolfsbane working it's way out of her system, and kept feeding her copious amounts of salt. She told him he was going to clog her arteries but he thought that was no big deal as long as she got better from this.

"That makes no sense. I'll get better then die from my arteries," she'd pointed out.

"You're delusional, take the salt."

"No, I'm _right_," she'd huffed, then had a tablespoon of salt shoved into her mouth. That asshole. When she was better she was going to shove an entire salt truck down his throat.

She couldn't say she didn't like the way he took care of her, though. He kept her comfortable, made sure she had enough blankets when she went through a bout of fevered shivering, but only at the agreement of drinking tons of cold water to make sure she didn't overheat.

He kept her well fed, perhaps overly so. She let him feed her because her fever drained her, making her feel like the act of lifting her arms would be the end of her.

He was good about that too, though. He made her some kind of special broth stuff his mother had apparently always given to him when he was under the weather. She had to admit it was delicious; it slid down her throat like liquid honey, soothing the raw muscles and making her hum with delight more than once. He laughed at her when some of it dribbled down her chin, and reached out to wipe it away with his thumb.

That caused another moment of embarrassment, much to her chagrin.

That seemed to keep happening a lot.

Wally relieved her boredom by finding some old 80s movies he loved a lot. They were entertaining, but sometimes boring. Artemis fell asleep on his shoulder for about ten minutes at one point, then woke up and moved back to the opposite side of the couch for a nap she clearly needed. _Clearly_.

The redhead went back into the lab on that second day, too, bringing her the news that the lone rat they had, had died from asphyxiation because Wally had used the antihistamines on her instead. He told her he would go get one from the pet store this time, that way it would be clean, but by that point Artemis was getting pretty out of it from her fever.

She watched him talk, not taking anymore of it in, seeing his chapped lips move but not noting the sounds that came out.

It was very interesting to watch him. He was absurdly animated when he was earnest about something. It was almost too hard for her to keep up with his wide array of expressions, so she instead focused on the features of his undulating face.

His freckles stood out more than ever, a soft dusting over his cheeks and along the bridge of his nose. Had those things multiplied since she first met him, or was it just her?

His green eyes were bright and earnest, and his red locks looked in need of a trimming because they brushed his forehead. Her steel eyes flicked down to his torso, appreciating the tight long sleeved red shirt he'd picked out for that day's attire.

He was surprisingly well toned for a science nerd, but she supposed that came from his days of track and keeping up that routine.

She kind of wanted to know what that routine was.

Because oh, Fenrir, Wally was very handsome. _Incredibly _handsome. It wasn't like she had never noticed it or even admitted it to herself; he was a good looking guy, there was no way around it. But now it just seemed so _obvious _that he was even more handsome than she'd first come to the conclusion of.

Wally West was hot. Objectively, as a friend would point out. No, no, not objectively, Artemis couldn't lie to herself about it. Wally was just straight up _hot_, in the kind of way she was pretty sure she would wrap her legs around if they weren't best friends.

She wasn't supposed to be having these thoughts. But she kind of had been more increasingly of late.

And she kind of didn't want to stop them anymore.

"Artemis? Are you feeling okay? Oh man, your temp's getting pretty up there again. Time for some more salt and cold fluids."

She groaned, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Take them yourself," she protested, hiding her face underneath one of her pillows.

The redhead grumbled about how stubborn she was, and Artemis grinned to herself from under the pillow.

**o.o.o.o**

"Wally?" Artemis asked softly on the last day, when she was feeling much better aside from the faint itch in her esophagus.

He was looking politely away, handing her the cleaned shirt she'd worn the night she'd been exposed; she traded him his own shirt back, a baggy one that she had been borrowing for a few days.

"Yeah?" he answered, glancing out his window while she buttoned up. She cleared her throat to let him know she was done, even though it seemed silly because he saw her naked the freaking night he met her. Normally she would have called him a dork, but now it just seemed a sweet gesture.

"Thanks for taking care of me," she told him sincerely, surprised that it took no swallowing of her pride to say it. He beamed at her.

"Of course! I told you before, I'm here for you," Wally said, placing a hand on one of her shoulders. They shared a meaningful smile, and though they couldn't know it, their hearts both skipped beats when the blonde briefly laid her hand overtop of his before patting it lightly and brushing it away from her.

She stood up, stretching intensely and clearing her throat.

"Well… I better get back home, my mom's probably worried sick."

"That's fine, you can tell her the Wallman had it all covered."

"I'm sure _that'll _impress her."

"She'll probably be happy someone else could handle dealing with your stubbornness so she didn't have to," Wally chimed in, crossing his arms smugly. Artemis scoffed, moving out of the window at his fire escape. He'd followed her, and had his head poked out. "Am I right or am I right?"

"Wrong. When my mom orders you to do something, you fucking do it or suffer the consequences. Even _I_ tremble before her," Artemis warned him very gravely, already with her hands wrapped around the railing of the steps leading down. Wally laughed, the sound of it floating up into the blue sky high above.

"Somehow I believe it, with how you are. Anyway…"

"I'll be back soon."

"Right. Still got work to do. I'll make sure to contain the dangerous stuff with a lid from now on."

"That would probably be a good idea."

Artemis began to descend.

"And Artemis?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're okay." The tone in which he said it was so soft she imagined she might not have heard it if she didn't possess advanced hearing. She paused on the stairs, looking back up at him, the emerald eyes gazing down at her with nothing but sincere earnest and relief so intense it almost took her breath away.

She smiled up at him, her tone just as careful.

"Me too."

**o.o.o.o**

"Uh, cuz? Can I talk to you about something?" Bart asked, sitting down noisily at the same table Wally had chosen for his lunch. He was buzzing with tension but Wally failed to noticed, preoccupied as he was with his own personal affairs.

The redhead was very busy going over some things involving Artemis and the project, sending his own self text message reminders for later on that day; mostly they consisted of a few items he'd need to "borrow" from the labs again.

And maybe the other thing holding his mental attention possibly had something to do with a thought about dinner with Artemis. At like, Bibbo's. Sometime soon. Because really he was tired of cooking all the time. They'd ordered take-out on plenty of occasions but seriously wasn't it about time they did something that didn't involve sitting on his couch or eating in his kitchen or working in the lab?

Was it wrong of him to want to take her to dinner? The very thought made his heart pump a little faster, made his palms clammy enough to make his cell phone slippery in his fingers. He bit at his lip, thumbing through the last few text messages the two of them had volleyed back and forth earlier in his shift, noting the increasing level of, well… he didn't know what, exactly.

All he knew was that it had made him feel inexplicably happy.

**Wallman:**

_I'm pretty sure the new intern here is like really into me right now, Wally had texted her during a free moment while he was observing some pills about to come out of the mixing vault. And I mean it's not even subtle. I can feel her trying to have eyesex with me and she's always the one bringing me things from administration._

**Artemis:**

_Wow, and you're not jumping all over this opportunity, Mr. Pasty Legs? Show some of that leg, she'll be all over you._

**Wallman:**

_But I don't want her to be all over me! _

**Artemis:**

_Why the hell not? _

**Wallman:**

_I just… don't! I'm not attracted to her, I'm attracted to- not her! _

**Artemis:**

_So just tell her you're already dating someone._

**Wallman:**

_But I'm not dating anyone!_

**Artemis:**

_So you lie about it._

**Wallman:**

_But what if she starts asking for specifics._

**Artemis:**

_Then you make some up, jesus, Wally, get it together. _

**Wallman:**

_Right, I'll just tell her I'm dating a super hot blonde with eyes like steel wool. Like her soul._

**Artemis:**

_Wow. That was really something, Wallman. You should also tell her about how she's the super jealous type too. Yeah, and she knows how to punch out a grown man._

**Wallman:**

_Great, yes. And that I'm deeply committed and if she doesn't keep her eyeballs to herself there's going to be a huge problem_.

**Artemis:**

_Tell her your fictional hot blonde girlfriend bathes in the blood of her enemies every morning._

**Wallman:**

_Haha, raunchy! No I'll just tell her she eats her steaks raw, like, still wriggling around on the plate. _

**Artemis:**

_That's the only way to eat them! _

**Wallman:**

_You're disgusting have I ever told you that?_

**Artemis:**

_You love it, West, don't even pretend._

**Wallman:**

_Maybe I do. So what?_

**Artemis:**

_Then I guess I'll stick around for a while, Firehead…_

Oh Einstein that last one…

And it was that conversation that had gotten his brain working on a scheme to ask her out to dinner. Or just treat her to it. Maybe not asking her out like a date. Or maybe he would. He hadn't decided yet, but that was exactly why he was so very distracted with himself when his cousin plopped down very unwelcoming in the seat next to him.

The redhead barely registered his cousin until the boy elbowed his forearm, hard.

"Huh?" Wally asked, blinking, finally pulling out of his reverie. "Yeah, sure, what?"

"Can we talk over by the snack machines, maybe?" the brunette whispered. Wally followed his gaze, noticing nothing out of the ordinary, just their fellow workers taking their own breaks.

Wondering what had the kid all wound up this time, Wally picked up his hoagie and meandered over to the snack machines, green eyes alighting immediately on the Lightspeed bars available inside.

_Hello dessert._

"Wally, focus!" Bart insisted, tugging at the redhead's sleeve.

"Fine, fine! What is it, you spazz?" he questioned, taking a huge hunk out of his sandwich, savoring the delicious beef.

"You, actually," Bart said, sending his cousin a withering look, crossing his arms.

"Me?" Wally got out through his stuffed cheeks, accidentally spraying Bart with a myriad of crumbs. Largely used to it, he wiped his face off without much complaint before continuing, poking Wally in the chest once to emphasize the problem.

"Yeah, you! Look, I know you've been taking stuff from the lab!" he blurted out. "Dude, cuz, I have covered for you like, five times already but I'm not sure I can keep it up. I'm already incredibly unpopular with the administration right now, they're so not moded with me!"

"Maybe if you didn't shatter everything you touch," Wally snorted out in amusement.

"This is serious," Bart groaned. And yeah, it actually was.

Wally had figured that sooner or later someone was bound to notice the things he slipped into his bags at the end of the day. It wasn't really a huge deal technically speaking, just a few extra test tubes and beakers, some syringes, some drugs and chemicals… no big.

Well, according to the _law _it was, but the redhead was hardly concerned with it, as long as he was able to reach his goals for Artemis.

He had known right from the start he'd need to borrow some supplies, because his own lab didn't house all the things the two of them would need, but he hadn't thought too much about the consequences of getting caught. He could be put in jail so fast his head would spin if things went south, but he had no intentions of dragging his cousin down with him.

Wally put his free arm around Bart's shoulder, the other holding tightly onto his food.

"Bart, I don't need you to cover for me, okay? Don't get yourself involved, it's fine. I know the risks, but I won't need to borrow much more anyway. Seriously, I don't want to have to explain to uncle Barry how we both got thrown in the slammer."

"But—"

"No buts!" Wally said vehemently, poking him in the chest as Bart had done to him. "Don't do it, kid."

Bart pouted, clutching at the strap of his bag, looking upset by the demand. But finally he let out a great sigh, throwing his hands up into the air in surrender.

"Fine! Jeez, who's even so important they've got you _stealing_?"

"Shh!" Wally hissed, putting a hand over the kid's loud mouth. He glared. "I told you not to cover for me anymore, that doesn't mean start shouting it to everyone."

"Is it that girl on your phone?" Bart asked, pointing to the mobile phone sticking out of Wally's shirt pocket. Wally choked on his sandwich, coughing until his face turned red. Bart patted his back, trying to help him out while calling out to some concerned employees that the redhead was alright.

"How would you know?" Wally rasped, beating his chest with his fist, hacking a few more times; his eyes watered.

Bart grinned. "I saw you looking through texts. All from and to _Artemis Crock_," the brunette said, rolling his tongue suggestively over the name, waggling his eyebrows at Wally.

"Okay, first of all, _never _say her name like that again. And secondly it's none of your business you little pipsqueak."

"Are you two dating or something?" Bart questioned, not phased a bit by Wally's threat. The scientist huffed, stomping past him to return to the table; Bart followed. "Is she sick? Is that why you're taking stuff for her?"

"No, and sort of," Wally admitted.

"Cuz, I—"

"Well, would you look at the time!" Wally said out loud, enough that everyone in the break room could hear. "Lunch is over in three minutes, better get back to work!"

"Dude, you're so moded, that's not even cool. I'm trying to help!"

"You can help by staying quiet about all of this," Wally declared, scooping his lunch box up into his hand. "And remember what I said about no more covering?"

"Yes, _cuz_," Bart drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Good. See you later."

"I think you should date her!" Bart yelled after the redhead's retreating form.

You know, Wally was just starting to think the same thing.


	19. Revelation

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Whelp... this is it people. The THING happens in this chapter.**

**EDIT: (12/15/14) Fixed things up a little because of reasons. Thanks Lizzie!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,640 words**

**o.o.o.o**

Gotham was surprisingly pleasant that evening, as far as the weather went at least.

People were still loud and obnoxious in the streets, hurrying home before the crime could rear it's ugly head for the night.

It was a damn shame the denizens were in such a hurry, because the smog was a little less thick and the air a whole lot nicer today, which was why Wally West had stopped at _The_ _Black Canary's Frozen Yogurt _shop for a little treat on his way home.

The redhead took his time meandering down the cracked sidewalks, stopping to look at flyers in windows that interested him, slowly licking away on the jumbo-sized cone he had purchased.

He was feeling more chipper than usual that evening because he had finally plucked up his courage about asking Artemis out to dinner.

He just couldn't deny it anymore; he wanted to ask her out.

It was as plain as day for him now that he had sufficiently mulled it over. Artemis was amazing; she was strong and hot and smart and funny and he just really wanted to date her and see if it could lead to anything. He would be so stupid to pass an incredible woman like her up without at least dipping his toes in to test the waters.

Trial and error, just like scientific research.

And boy, he hoped it wouldn't end in error.

The next time Artemis came over to his apartment, he was going to ask her out.

Wally's phone buzzed as he rounded the final stretch of buildings to his house. He pitched the last of his sugar cone into his mouth, chomping down with a hum of delight as he pulled his device out to check the message he'd received.

It was from Dick.

No sooner had he flipped the phone open to read and reply, two police cars barreled down the street next to the redhead, sirens blaring the whole way. Wally watched them, brows knitting together, wondering if his friend was involved at all. The vehicles were heading straight for the slums, which just so happened to be Dick's common hunting ground for criminals of late.

Wally checked the message.

**Dick:**

_Wally, I need you to promise me that you won't forward this to anyone. Delete it after you've had a good look, alright, bro?_

_What the… _Wally scratched at his hair, stopping near a street light that had just flickered on above him. It bathed him in violent orange light, warping the view of his cell phone enough that he had to hold it up and tilt it in order to see properly.

**Wallman:**

_What are you talking about, Dick? Is there something going on? Just saw two po-pos go barreling toward the slums._

**Dick:**

_Oh, something is definitely up, and you're not going to like it. Don't worry, I'm fine… finer than that guy._

**Wallman:**

_What guy?_

Wally was irritated by his friend's crypticism, and was about to get on his case royally when the cell phone screen brightened, informing him that a photo was incoming.

His eyebrows rose. He wasn't even sure he _wanted _to see whatever it was Dick had just sent him; the cop had a notorious habit for sending him photos that were rather gruesome. Not for any disrespectful purpose, of course, but on an occasion or two Wally's outside scientific expertise had helped the policeman out with some of Gotham's notoriously oddball murder scenes.

Yet still, the fact remained that it was _totally _illegal to snag cell phone images of crime scenes, and it was just one of the many ways in which Dick's knack for laughter—or in this these cases, _justice_—at the expense of rules had bled into his adult life.

The photo loaded, the phone vibrating to let him know he'd received. Letting out a breath, Wally opened it up.

There was a dead animal on the photo. A dog, or a wolf?

Or rather, that was what it _looked _like at first glance. Perplexed, the scientist zoomed in on the crime scene for a much closer look.

Whatever it was, it was incredibly large, laying out on the pavement in a pool of blood, it's body easily as long and vast as the police car it was posed horizontally beside of. It's fur was ragged brown as far as he could tell in the lengthening shadows that stretched across it's form.

Three more photos arrived before Wally could even begin processing what he was looking at.

The first was a zoomed in shot of the wolf's face. It's snout looked pitiful and rough, the slits of it's eyes revealing a milky white hue that suggested it was, or _had _been, blind.

The second picture focused on a furry arm. Dick had obviously shifted the appendage out from under it's prone form, laying it out in a crooked shape for a better view. The muscles were thick looking under slightly sleeker fur there, but that wasn't what made Wally uncomfortable.

No, it was the hand.

It had a hand remarkably like a human's. Claws sprouted from the tips of the gnarled fingers in place of nails, and there was definitely an opposable thumb curling brokenly in toward it's padded palm.

"What the _hell_…" Wally muttered to himself, moving on to the final photo.

It was of the animal's lower body. It's back legs specifically, which were long and chorded, clearly designed for powerful jumping and fast movement. The paws on them were _massive_; a hand was pressing against the pitch black paw pads, which dwarfed the palm easily.

His phone buzzed again with a message.

**Dick:**

_Well? Who was right and who was wrong?_

Wally didn't know what to say at first. Of course it was clear that these photos were _fake_.

There was just no way a wolf could be in Gotham City, much less one of that size and girth, or with… hands. In fact Wally knew of no lupine species on the planet of that magnitude.

It was clear Dick was fucking with him. Big time.

**Wallman:**

_Wow. Nice try, dude. You really went through hell for this one, didn't you?_

**Dick:**

_Are you serious right now? You think I made those pictures?_

**Wallman:**

_Well, maybe not you specifically. I'm saying you maybe got them from someone who believes in the werewolf stories. Oh Einstein, of course! You got the werewolf website from that little shit Bart, didn't you? You two are _unbelievable_._

**Dick:**

_I was the one that pulled the trigger on it, Wally! Those two police cars you saw drive past are heading to it right now!_

That made the redhead angry. Why was Dick so hellbent on tricking him with this, that he had to pretend he had killed a freaking werewolf? It was insane and he knew it!

**Wallman:**

_You're really something, Dick. I can't believe you're that desperate to turn me into a werewolf believer. I bet some doped up teenagers went out and pretended to hunt one down, then posted it to the internet and you just couldn't pass it up, what with it looking so professional and right in front of a police car, too! Bravo, dude, bravo. Now cut the shit._

**Dick:**

_You know what, I don't have time for you right now. I have work to do. Text me when you come to your senses you stubborn jackass._

**Wallman:**

_Likewise_, dick_._

Wally slammed his phone shut, the frozen yogurt going sour in his stomach, making him feel sick as he marched home in bad temper.

He was so sick of this entire town going absolutely batshit around him, and expecting him to fall into the same hole they were. Well, it wasn't going to happen! Wallace West was smarter than that, and not even his susceptible best friend was going to convince him.

"He'll apologize later, once he realizes how ridiculous he's being," Wally reasoned in a low growl to himself as he finally reached his apartment. He shoved the wooden doors open, taking the stairs two steps at a time like usual. "I mean, come on… it's like the only two sane people in this town are me and Artemis!"

The redhead grumbled angrily to himself the whole way up to his floor. He pulled his keys out of his pocket as he padded down the hall that led to his room, so intent on fiddling with them incessantly in his anger that he didn't notice Artemis was right outside his door, leaning against the wall with a rather sombre expression on her face.

Neither of them noticed the other until Wally marched passed, his elbow brushing her breast, very quite by accident. The contact snapped both of them out of their thoughts, their eyes meeting in surprise at the appearance of one another.

"Artemis!"

"Wally! Uh, hey, I was just waiting for you to get back. You left your window locked, you dork," Artemis said, but her heart didn't seem fully in the tease. He could see something in her eyes but couldn't place his finger on it; he wondered if someone had pissed her off as well.

If so, he could definitely relate.

"Oh, sorry, Beautiful," he murmured, rubbing at the back of his neck. He sighed deeply, bringing his hand up over his hair and down across his face, pulling at the bags under his eyes. "You know I forget sometimes."

"Yeah."

They lapsed into a mildly uncomfortable silence as Wally unlocked his front door, gesturing for her to go in first. The blonde neglected to give him her patented glare at the display of chivalry, something he noticed as she padded in and went directly to his couch. She flopped down on one of the seats and sat there quite stiffly.

"Uh, Arty?" the redhead asked, closing his front door and plunging them into a darkness barely penetrated by soft waning light filtering through the blinds over the kitchen sink. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" the blonde sang, jumping immediately back to her feet. Wally shot her a look. She was acting very odd, but as usual he knew better than to push it with her; she always told him sooner or later, he just had to be patient and let her come clean on her own time. "How was your day, Wallman?"

"Just peachy, up until Dick texted me, that is," Wally huffed, dropping his bag and light jacket on the floor next to the door. He rubbed at his face again, inwardly groaning. He had been so ready to ask Artemis out, but now here she was in front of him and he felt way too weary to spring such a thing on her.

She seemed too out of sorts herself; this whole evening was going down the toilet very fast.

"Oh boy, what did he do?" Artemis asked, her voice soothing.

"Ugh, just the usual, trying to get me all aboard the 'werewolves are real' train, except this time he's kind of crossed a line," Wally groused, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket. He waved at Artemis to come over, pulling up the pictures as she moved toward him across the carpet. "He's acting like he fucking killed one on patrol a few minutes ago. He sent me these and he expects me to believe they're not photoshopped all to hell and taken by high teens. Just… ugh."

Wally shoved the phone into her hands, letting her comb over the images. He disappeared into his kitchen, digging around for a soda in his refrigerator, but not before moodily tossing a few morsels of leftover chicken into his mouth. "You want a drink?" he called through his stuffed cheeks, already grabbing a second one without waiting for her response.

"No, I… Wally can you… can you come here for a second?" came her husky voice, sounding uncharacteristically subdued. The redhead frowned to himself; something was definitely off about his blonde tonight.

Er, _the _blonde, not his.

_But she could maybe be_, a voice insisted in his head. He shook it away. He already knew that brain, he was working on it, okay.

"Artemis you sound really…" Wally dropped both of the sodas he was carrying when he reached the mouth of the kitchen. Luckily the cans landed on the gentler padding of the carpet instead of the solid kitchen tiles, softening the blow enough that they rolled away without spewing.

He gaped.

Artemis was pulling her clothes off. She had just finished pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it onto the back of his couch when he entered.

Then, without so much as a glance or any sense of decency, she unclasped her bra and flung it away as well. Her breasts came free, and his face heated despite the fact that he'd seen her before. He yelped and turned away, feeling deeply embarrassed, his skin so hot he couldn't stand it.

"Artemis, what in the world are you doing!?" he choked, hearing the telltale unzipping of her blue jeans. "Why are you—"

"Wally, I know this must seem incredibly fucked up or maybe fantastical to you, but I need you to turn around and just trust me, okay?" the blonde told him calmly, her voice cracking mildly on the word trust.

"I don't understand," Wally whispered out, still not turning to face her, his cheeks flushed all to hell. The house felt so stuffy all of a sudden, and his brain was desperately trying to make sense of what she could possibly want to show him or say to him or whatever after randomly stripping in his living room.

"For Fenrir's sake, Wally, just look at me," Artemis said as quietly.

Wally took a steadying breath, trying to calm himself and his rising body temperature. Finally he nodded, turning on the spot to face the nude woman. She stood there, steel gray eyes focused intensely on his face, her brows pressed together tightly.

"Wally, promise me you won't freak out," she said, one of her hands moving to rub uncertainly at her bicep. He opened his mouth to reply, to croak out anything reassuring, but it wouldn't come so he just closed his lips and nodded silently.

Artemis dropped her head, sighing, and then something insane happened. Something that made Wally wonder if he'd missed a dose of medication he'd forgotten he was taking, or if maybe that Oliver Queen jerk that ran Black Canary's with his wife had slipped some mary jane into his yogurt.

Artemis Crock began to change.

It was hard to describe exactly what he was seeing, because so much was taking place all at once.

Her body grew taller, and wider; but then there was also something happening to her face, an elongation that made him gasp out in fear of what pain it must have been causing her. He wanted to rush over to her at the first grunt of discomfort that issued passed her lips, but the sight of golden hair—no, _fur_—bursting into existence all over her body stopped him in his thought. It raced across her changing structure; along her arms, her legs, creeping around her thighs, traversing over shrinking breasts that all but disappeared under the onslaught of creamy yellow.

Pointed ears seemingly sprouted out of the top of her head, which now resembled something like a dog's. It was long and narrow and the teeth pulled back in a painful snarl were sharp and deadly.

When it was all over, there was an eight foot golden wolf standing in his apartment on it's back legs, perfectly balanced, right there in front of him.

Right where Artemis Crock had stood moments ago.

Wally nearly pissed himself. He didn't know what to say or do, then the wolf opened it's eyes and Artemis's stormy gray peered out at him, the very same ones he looked at nearly every day.

Wally's heart thudded, his brain screaming about a million things at him, but he just needed to know one thing.

"A...Artemis?" he croaked.

She nodded. Wally's knees felt like jello.

_Oh, Einstein, oh, Einstein, what… what…_

"Wally," the werewolf—no, _Artemis_—spoke. Spoke. Spoke to him in the same husky voice that could inadvertently send shivers down his spine if he wasn't prepared for it. "Are you going to be okay? I just… wanted you to see. To know. What I am."

Nothing.

Artemis looked at him, blinking, those large intelligent eyes moistening in the last light of the fading day when he just stared at her. She turned her head away, the ears on top of her skull folding flat in what he could only guess was despair.

It was then that he found the courage to speak.

"Artemis, you're…" he gasped. She turned to look at him. "You're a _werewolf_. I mean… an _actual_—"

"I am," she said simply.

"But, _how_—"

"I don't know, I just have been all my life. I'm sorry I didn't show you sooner, but…" she trailed off, not finishing. Her slate eyes flicked to the carpet beneath her paws.

Wally didn't need her to finish the sentence, he knew exactly what she was getting at. And how could he blame her for not telling him? He, after all, didn't believe in such things. He still wasn't sure he did, even with the cold hard proof standing there right in front of his face. He'd seen it happen and still his mind told him it had all been a trick of the light, or cinema magic, or… no.

There wasn't anything this could be but a… werewolf.

A real, live werewolf.

It was short circuiting his brain, turning everything he knew upside down.

Yet there was a tiny, niggling place in the back of his brain that told him he'd had his suspicions here and there, especially once Artemis had reacted to silver and wolfsbane. He'd combed Bart's website with mild curiosity and more interest than he'd have cared to admit. The pictures Dick had sent him had looked alarmingly genuine, but he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself; it was part of why he had gotten so angry at his best pal.

This entire time, his scientific side had been piecing together the riddle as each clue cropped up in front of him; he had known, _somewhere_ in the methodical part of his mind that it was all true. Wally West was a scientist, but he was a scientist that had unfortunately been born with a personality attribute that Dick and his mother both liked to call "bullheadedness." It was an odd combination, for a scientist, who was supposed to be open-minded to all the possible outcomes, to have a knack for closing off things he couldn't explain _fast_ enough with science.

Or things that had only been heard of in myths and horror stories.

Still, Wally felt a harsh pang of shame at the way he had been acting, like a hot lead weight dropping down into his stomach.

Wally looked at Artemis, and she looked right back. If it hadn't been for the honesty in her eyes he would have never believed that it was her in a million years; how could that be _Artemis _standing there with fur and without fire and steel in her eyes? But there it was, though dulled for the moment with the weight of the emotions rushing through her head, no doubt all worries and reservations and fear of his incoming rejection.

Wally wouldn't reject what was right in his face. If she had revealed herself the night he found her, he was ashamed to admit he would have rejected everything she was; slammed the door and spent the rest of his life reasoning with himself about what he'd seen here tonight.

But now he couldn't, not without lying to himself; to her, to Dick, to Zatanna, to everyone in this town that apparently wasn't as insane as he'd insisted.

What was that famous saying from the great Sherlock Holmes?

_Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._

Wally West was now ready to admit the truth. She was standing right in front of him, waiting expectantly.

"Artemis, I think I owe you an apology," he said with a dry throat. It didn't matter if it was... illogical, it was happening to him and it was real. Time to suck it up for his friend. For Artemis. "I guess I was… wrong."

"Wally, no," Artemis began, sounding angry, but he cut her off.

"No. I was wrong, werewolves are real. _You're _real. I've been calling you a myth this whole time, even though you were right there in front of my face. The silver, the wolfsbane, the eating habits… how could I have possibly written it all off as something so… prosaic?"

"Wally, you were telling yourself what made sense to you, you don't have to apologize. I know how crazy this is, I've known it for twenty four years and it _still _scares me."

"I bet," Wally said in a tiny laugh of amusement, causing the dark lips of hers to pull back in a smirk.

Einstein, it was the same smirk she had as a human, too.

This was all too bizarre, too surreal.

"Wally…" Artemis began, but the redhead walked over to her, measured and calm despite the way his limbs still shook a little. The golden furred she-wolf watched him curiously as he approached, staring up at her with a mixture of all of his emotions swimming in his eyes.

Fear, relief, understanding… and love for a friend. He reached out with his hand and touched the fur on her forearm, the action making her eyes drift closed; he stroked the smooth fur down, marveling at the feel of it.

It was that solid touch, the sensory proof that finally did it for him.

He smiled up at her, the hand moving down to grip her gigantic, furry hand and lift it up between them. She opened her eyes, smirking at him as he gripped it tightly in his fingers; or as much of it as he could fit in his fingers, at any rate.

"I'm here for you, Artemis."

"I'm here for you, too."

**o.o.o.o**

**Wallman:**

_Dick?_

**Dick:**

…_.._

**Wallman:**

_I'm sorry, okay? I was a stubborn jackass just like you said. I admit it._

**Dick:**

_Well, the first step to healing is admittance._

**Wallman:**

_No, the first step to healing is seeing with your own eyes and admitting it's been there the whole time._

**Dick:**

_...Artemis finally showed you, didn't she?_


	20. Twenty Questions

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**Sorry for the crazy gap, lost my motivation to update there for a bit. I made a few minor changes to the last chapter if anyone is interested. **

**Lots of text conversation beloooooooooooooow!**

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**Chapter Length: 1,962 words**

**o.o.o.o**

**Fire Head:**

_Sooo… what's it like? _

Artemis frowned in confusion at the text message that woke her up at one in the morning. She had been reading through an advanced science textbook she'd snagged a few days ago at a used book store, when she'd drifted off to sleep.

Wally had invited her over for lunch earlier that day. The redhead had seemed odd around her, making Artemis concerned that perhaps her revelation the night before had unhinged him more than he first revealed. But he'd been perfectly cheery and hadn't mentioned anything about it.

The odd part had been how at every moment of comfortable silence he'd open his mouth at her, gape like a fish, then struggle for a couple of seconds to blurt out something at her.

She'd gotten the feeling he really wanted to ask her something, but before he could do it he'd been called in to work and Artemis hadn't heard from him for the rest of the day.

Until now.

She stretched and yawned luxuriously before bothering to text back.

**Artemis:**

_What's what like? _

**Fire Head:**

_Being… you know. Uuuh… werewolf. _

That was all? _That's _what he'd been struggling to ask her over lunch?

She laughed internally, feeling fondness for the dork. It was only natural for him to want to ask her questions; in fact, she was quite surprised it had taken him this long, given his inquisitive nature.

**Artemis:**

_I don't know. What's it like to be a pasty legged science nerd?_

**Fire Head:**

_Not as interesting as being a werewolf, I can tell you that._

**Artemis:**

_Don't be so sure, Wallman, you're pretty interesting yourself._

The blonde grinned to herself when it took him an extended amount of time to text back, and she couldn't help but imagine him getting flustered, trying to come back at her with something clever no doubt.

**Fire Head:**

_It's the information I vomit up that's interesting, my dearest Artemis._

**Artemis:**

_That's funny. I was thinking it was more along the lines of your dazzling charm, intimate knowledge of all things scientific, and your ability to eat three pies in ten minutes without anyone's help._

**Fire Head:**

_You slay me! Now how's about answering my question, Miss Dazzling Charm._

**Artemis:**

_It's…_

Artemis thought.

What _was _it like to be a werewolf? She had never really considered it, it was just what she was and had always been since birth. Craving raw meat, hearing sounds from miles away, smelling people and food and objects in great detail, the change… it was just… _her_.

Like Wally being just Wally. Like Paula being just Paula.

It was a whole lot like just _being_. A _human _being. That's what Artemis had come to realize from hanging out with Wally, from opening herself up to more human beings than she ever had before.

Artemis wasn't so different from them, discounting her furry problem.

She was a human being; she acted a lot like one. She watched tv when she was bored, she argued with her mother over dumb things, she went shopping with Zee (even if that was a newer thing). She tried to fill her head with knowledge from school books, she laughed, she cried, she got mad, she ate when she was feeling down, she wanted friends (now _had _them), she wanted a better home, a better life.

Being a werewolf… wasn't as different as she'd first thought.

**Artemis:**

_It's like being a human, I guess. But with pack politics thrown in? I don't know, it's… not really that crazy. Minus the wolf part, I mean._

It was the best way she could think to describe it to him.

**Fire Head:**

_Come on, I'm sure it's more exciting somehow! Artemis, you turn into a giant, bipedal wolf woman! _

She laughed out, leaning against the wall beside her bed, face bathed in a swath of moonlight that filtered in through her blinds.

**Artemis:**

_You're going to have to get a lot more specific, dork._

**Fire Head:**

_Fine. Pack politics. Explain that to me. Can't be any more boring than human politics._

**Artemis:**

_It's more like pack etiquette I guess. Our system. Alpha, beta, then the rest of the pack, just like wolves. Alpha sets the laws of his particular pack, the beta is his vice president I guess you could say. Everyone does what the pack leader says and lives happily ever after. _

**Fire Head:**

_Interesting… and who is your pack leader?_

Artemis bit her lip hard, turning her face to glance out into the night. The moon was high and crescent shaped, the stars all but covered in an abyss of black ink from the light pollution.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Wally with the information, it was just that she wondered if there was some line she needed to draw with the questions she answered, or how truthfully.

The texts were between the two of them alone, there was about a one in a million chance her dad would for some outlandish reason ever look at her cell phone and see what had been exchanged tonight… and Wally would probably find out from Artemis sooner or later.

If things kept going the way they were between them, she couldn't expect he would never ever inquire about her parents. She was pretty sure it was only out of respect for her privacy he hadn't already grilled her about her them, anyway.

She was done lying to him. That part of her had gone out the window with her werewolf revelation.

**Artemis:**

_My father. Lawrence Crock._

**Fire Head:**

…_.oh man. I did not see that coming._

**Artemis:**

_Yeah. He's no good, Wally. He's the cause for all of this town's problems in the slums. He controls the werewolf population in Gotham and they'd follow him to the edge and back because they're scared of him. I... dislike him, to put it nicely._

**Fire Head:**

_I see. He sounds like a real charmer. Nothing like his daughter though. I don't know if you heard or not but she's dazzling when it comes to charm. I was lucky enough to meet her._

She snorted.

**Artemis:**

_Lucky you, huh? Stumbling across the wounded daughter of a werewolf alpha. I was so mad at you, when you found me. I couldn't believe a human could be so idiotic. _

**Fire Head:**

_And do you still think that now, Miss Crock? _

**Artemis:**

_Absolutely. Your brain is damaged. _

**Fire Head:**

_Good to know. Hey, you never told me... what did you do to get yourself shot that night? _

**Artemis:**

_Basically everything my father has told me not to do all my life. I was helping humans in secret, when and wherever I could. I tried to stay pretty indirect but... sometimes there wasn't much choice. I came across a mugging in action and it was just happening, so I caused a distraction, enough to give the victim time to run while I got in the way of the shooter. As a werewolf. Not my brightest moment, but I couldn't just stand there and let someone get hurt. Evidently that gangster was one of the wiser ones because the bullet had silver laced on it. I think he tried to get a couple more shots in on me, I'm not sure… things got fuzzy after that. Luckily he turned tail and ran._

**Fire Head:**

_Hmm… that explains the burning around the wound. _

**Artemis:**

_It felt like someone was taking a welding torch to my side, if that gives you any idea of how bad silver burns. My hand on the silver trophy? Just as bad if not worse. Wolfsbane in my throat and lungs? I wanted to lay down and die. _

**Fire Head**

_Hey, no worries, I had you in good hands. _

**Artemis:**

_Yeah, you did, I'll give you that one. You've got some magic fingers there, firehead._

**Fire Head:**

_They can dish out a mean massage, too._

**Artemis:**

_Don't make me take you up on that offer._

**Fire Head:**

_Anytime, Beautiful. So anyway, just to reiterate… let me see if I'm picking up on the right points of information here. I'm guessing from what you've said that your pack really hates humans. Our friendship would probably not go over too well, would it?_

**Artemis:**

_Correct. Way correct. I didn't even want to see you again at first… at all. I didn't want to bring my scent right back to your doorstep. You were a stupid human that helped me and I was grateful, but I didn't want you in my life at all. For your own safety._

**Fire Head:**

_But you did come back._

**Artemis:**

_I did…_

**Fire Head:**

_I'm glad you did._

**Artemis:**

_What, not worried the pack will come down on your head? I figured once I started dropping this heavy stuff on you, you'd remove me from your contacts and never talk to me again. _

**Fire Head:**

_Nah, didn't even cross my mind. We got each other's backs, besides, wouldn't they have tried something already? It's been months._

**Artemis:**

_You are insane. Truly insane. Maybe that's why I like you._

**Fire Head:**

_So you admit my pasty legged charm has worked on you? _

**Artemis:**

_Pfffft, don't flatter yourself. Any other questions about me, Wallman?_

**Fire Head:**

_No, just an observation._

**Artemis:**

_And that is?_

**Fire Head:**

_Well, I feel I now know you are, as I had previously come to the conclusion, a hardened badass. I mean, it's like you're some kind of vigilante werewolf. Just need a mask and a cool name, then you'd be right in business._

**Artemis:**

_Yeah, _Artemis snorted to herself as she typed_. And maybe you can create an experiment that gives you the speed powers from your dream, and we can team up every night. _

The mere idea of it was amusing her greatly, but something about the fictional arrangement did sound incredibly cool.

**Fire Head:**

_That… would be incredibly asterous._

**Artemis:**

_What?_

**Fire Head:**

_Nothing. Dick likes to make up words, did I forget to tell you that?_

**Artemis:**

_Kind of._

**Fire Head:**

_Well, it's a thing._

**Artemis:**

_Tastic. You can tell me all about it another time, I'm beat_.

**Fire Head:**

_Look at that, you've already caught on! Dick would be so proud, I'm about to shed a tear. _

**Artemis:**

_Please don't._

**Fire Head:**

_Too late. _

**Artemis:**

_Oh brother._

**Fire Head:**

_I'm kidding, Artemis. Anyway… I guess I'll say goodnight now. And uh… I'm just, you know, really glad you shared this with me. All of it, I mean. I kept feeling like I was sort of… missing something about you. Now I know what it was, and it's frankly pretty amazing. You're kind of amazing._

How could Wally ever know how much trust she put into him, to show herself like that? It had taken her so long to put her fears of rejection to the side, but over time he'd wheedled his way into her life so deeply that she couldn't stand the lies anymore.

To hear that it meant something back to him, to know that he'd waited so long and patiently for this missing puzzle piece about her. It made a lump form in her throat, and a smile curve up her lips. Her face felt flushed as she typed back her snarky reply.

**Artemis:**

_I'm one of am a kind, West, and don't you forget it._

**Fire Head:**

_How could I, you turned my world upside down._

**Artemis:**

_I can't say that I'm sorry about that._

**Fire Head:**

_Don't be._

Their texts deteriorated rapidly into tired, single-worded replies after that, until at last Artemis didn't move herself or open her eyes to respond to the vibration of her phone.

She fell asleep with her heart at ease and her breaths even.


	21. Sweet Feeling

**Disclaimer- Do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters.**

**I think this is maybe the chapter a lot of you guys have been waiting for. Just a hunch though.**

**Also cameos!**

**o.o.o.o**

**Chapter Length: 3,950 words**

**o.o.o.o**

The wonderful thing was that nothing really changed between Wally and Artemis after she revealed herself to him. It became just another part of his always growing knowledge about her, and he didn't seem to mind it, which made Artemis far more happy than she ever should have been with one man's opinion of her.

Wally was just as eager as she'd always been to start trying to research into how she was what she was.

She shared her favorite websites on the subjects of gene chimerisms and other such conditions, as well as theories she'd worked out in her head over the years. Some of them were worth a good laugh, since she'd made up a lot of them when she was ten or twelve, but still others were sound; Wally wrote those down on a pad of paper that grew more and more everyday with their own predictions and thoughts on the matter.

Meanwhile their work in the lab continued. They bought two more rats (from the pet store, at Wally's vehement insistence) and progress continued at the same pace.

The only difference was that Artemis felt she could finally be involved to her full potential, letting him know when something would probably not work for her, and sometimes even flat out taking stuff out of his hands to do it herself.

He'd sputter indignantly like it bothered him, but then he'd hover right next to her, shoulder brushing and breath close.

Since they didn't know exactly how her condition came to be, they had to treat her symptoms in the same fashion as before, but Artemis added to both their knowledge by letting Wally run a few diagnostics on her in wolf form. She didn't mind one bit; he listened to her heart, which beat quite faster than when she was a human; he took more blood, as well as some saliva ("Isn't that the same result as blood, you dork?").

Everything was still going very smoothly and Wally was getting confident they could whip up something eventually to at least suppress her natural werewolf aversions to certain compounds.

It would take them months, maybe years, but neither of them seemed to mind.

They weren't going anywhere.

Now that the secret was truly out, Artemis stopped calling the police station's anonymous hotline and started texting Dick directly, letting him know exactly where and when she had knowledge of any goings on in the slums. He was able to get to places more efficiently, which was good news for any innocent slum dwellers in the area. Dick really had his hands full with both the wolves and the rise in gang activity, but at least she was able to bring things into a more understandable focus by revealing there was a direct correlation between the two.

Werewolves were very territorial, after all.

Zatanna became an even more valuable friend. Artemis started spending time down at the shop with the woman, sharing frappuccinos from the nearest coffee shop and combing through all of the books on werewolves together. Zatanna would turn the shop sign to Closed, and the two of them would spend an hour or two sitting on the floor between the shelves, leafing through pages until their eyes hurt.

The two of them looked at her problem from the supernatural standpoint, while she and Wally continued battling forward on the science standpoint. Somewhere, the two points would always crossroads, and they'd be another step forward on a suppressor.

But out of all of the big changes happening in Artemis's life since her revelation, perhaps the _best_ that happened was that Wally asked her out.

The tension had been growing positively unbearable between them, both of them constantly casting each other sidelong smiles that caught and made them blush a little to themselves. It was a wonder they were able to get any sort of progress made in the lab the evening he asked.

"Move over, wolf girl, you're taking up all my elbow room."

"Me? I think you're the one flinging your arms around like a noodle."

"Right," he laughed, bumping her hip with his own with enough force to make her stumble over to the opposite end of the table. "It's not your big butt or anything," he added, pursing his lips and bending away from the table as if to eye her backside. Mentally feeling excited about where their banter was going, the blonde scoffed, checking out his own ass very unabashedly.

Which, by the way, she had scoped out quite a few times before.

She'd determined it was very fine indeed.

"And yours isn't, bottomless pit? Try cutting back on the fries," she hummed, moving back to the table. She let her own hip swing out to catch his, at the same time he did as well. The resulting crash sent them both staggering, reaching out to grasp each others forearms for balance. Their eyes caught and they burst into laughter, agreeing that maybe both of them should try laying off the fried foods.

"I can't believe you've been staring at my ass though, you perv," Artemis murmured, once they'd made room for themselves and gotten back to work.

"Artemis, I've seen you _naked_. _Twice_. It would be a feat for me, not to have seen it," he rasped, blushing at the remembrance. She just smirked, channeling that inner lack of care for being naked around others that came with the territory of being a werewolf. In fact his embarrassment fueled her confidence for this flirting session.

Fenrir, she just wanted Wally to make a damn move already. For the last two days it seemed he'd been trying to ask her something, but it always devolved into stupid excuses and pink flushes.

It was time to start pushing things along a little.

"I guess you're right. But… wasn't there an episode of _Friends _that we watched last month, where Chandler saw Rachel's boobs, so she told him it was only fair she got to see his junk?" Artemis asked slyly, eyeing him while biting her bottom lip. Though she herself could sometimes be embarrassed by nudity under the right circumstances, it seemed largely hilarious that humans found the naked body so scandalizing.

As Artemis had hoped, Wally sputtered out, his skin as red as his hair. Artemis laughed at his reaction.

"Of all the episode bits you could remember, it was that one?" he choked. "You know that's not an _actual _rule of friends right?"

"I think it _is _somewhere in the book," Artemis insisted, still laughing, elbowing him in the bicep. "But since I've already seen your infamous pasty legs I guess we can call it even," she hummed. And for good damn measure, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, then turned on her heel before he could do anything about it. "I think we've been in here long enough, firehead. How about some more of those 80s movies of yours?"

She turned the light out on his prone form, feeling proud of herself

Not long after that, they got situated on his couch, ready to indulge in their movie viewing past time. It had become something of a winding down ritual for them.

Only this time it constituted a whole lot more laughing and gentle shoving across the couch than usual.

"Get your own spot, West!"

"This whole _couch _is my spot!"

"My blood is on this cushion!"

"...touche."

Several movies in, Artemis got tired, especially when Wally decided he wanted to watch Teen Wolf again. She groaned, letting her body tip sideways so her head rested despairingly on his shoulder.

"Wally, Teen Wolf _again_? Are you doing this for the irony or?"

"No, Beautiful, I just like me some Teen Wolf. And yeah, a little bit the irony," he admitted at her glare. She nodded. Just as she'd suspected.

The blonde had gotten through maybe fifteen minutes when she felt her eyes drooping. She adjusted herself on the couch, pressing closer to Wally to use him as a pillow. He shifted for her, lifting one arm up to drape it around, the fingers there beginning to fiddle with her blonde strands.

"Hey, Artemis?" he'd asked quietly as she breathed steadily against him, gray eyes flickering dully with the changing scenes on the television.

"Hm?"

"Would you maybe go out with me? To eat. On a date."

Artemis felt herself smile. It was about time he got it out. She shifted against his bicep a little, a rasping hum releasing from her throat.

"Took you long enough."

"I know, I know. I should have done this a long time ago," he muttered, stroking her hair behind her ear. "I was afraid I might mess with our friendship or that you'd punch me."

"I might have," Artemis said, agreeing with the sentiment. Really, if he'd tried this even a month ago she wouldn't have had a clue what her reaction would've been. Maybe not a punch, but… she probably would have struggled for days over whether she wanted to accept, whether she had any feelings or even _wanted _to let herself have any.

But now?

If Artemis were being honest with herself, she'd been attracted to Wally from the start, at least physically speaking, and it had grown into so much more than that. He ate up her thoughts while she was at home with her mother in the slums; Paula liked to point out that he cropped up in Artemis's everyday conversation with her more than a 'just friend' probably should.

Artemis had scoffed and denied it, all the while realizing her mother had been smirking knowingly behind her back for months.

Wally was honestly a light in her life by this point. His dorky, lopsided grins, his jokes, his constantly in a state of disarray hair, his childlike enthusiasm for anything science related, his love for 80s movies. Everything about him made her happy. She would have been a fool not to try dating him.

"I'd love to, Wally," she whispered after a rather lengthy yawn. She fell asleep shortly thereafter, smiling at the way he pulled her tighter to him, letting out a sigh of content.

**o.o.o.o**

So now here they were, walking down the sidewalks of Gotham after a nice dinner together at a restaurant called _The Amazon_. It was a semi-casual place that offered so many familiar and strange dishes that Wally had nearly had an aneurism trying to decide which three dishes sounded the best; he'd ordered three plates, and ate every morsel off them.

Somehow Artemis had been less perturbed by that than she should have been, but she had been too busy humming in delight over the quality of her rare steak.

Currently the two of them were meandering down the streets, chatting it away, pointing out particularly disgruntled looking people in the throngs heading home for the evening and discussing where they might get desert.

They had been walking so close that their hands brushed with each swing back and forward, until at last Wally got the courage to take hold of her hand. Her hand felt small and warm in his, a strangely delightful feel; she gripped his back and that's how they finally made their way to the bakery known as _Hello! Megan's_, which Wally had pointed out.

"You ever had anything from here?" Wally asked Artemis as they approached the shop. It was incredibly quaint, with vibrant red, curling letters announcing it's name. The smell of home made pastries curled tantalizing up the blonde's nose, making her mouth water.

"No, I never came into Gotham proper much before meeting you," she admitted. Wally nodded, swinging their hands back and forth between them.

"Then we shall remedy this!" Wally declared, stopping at the glass door to the bakery and ushering Artemis in first. "You'll never need another bakery once you taste their donuts. Oh man, I'm hungry."

"We just ate!" Artemis chided as they stepped into the cool atmosphere.

There were only two other people sitting down at the little round tables scattered about the place. The floor with tiled with black and white squares, and frankly the bakery resembled something out of the 1950s. There was neon behind the counter, as well as a chipper looking auburn haired woman and her surly looking companion.

"Hello Megan!" Wally greeted, snickering. The dark haired boy behind the counter rolled his eyes."And, uh, Conner."

"Hi, Wally, you haven't been by in a while. I thought maybe you'd found a better bakery," Megan tittered, her strange amber colored eyes darting over to Artemis. They lit up with the happiness of making a new acquaintance; or at least that's what the blonde chalked it up to. "And hi to you too, Miss—?"

"I'm Artemis, your newest regular customer according to Wally here," she mused, gray eyes scanning over the pastries on display in the glass between them. She had to admit it all looked as good as it smelled. "Does he bother you a lot?"

"Only almost every morning before work," Conner groused.

"Let me guess, he buys like two dozen boxes of whatever his favorite is?" Artemis asked, crossing her arms and grinning at Wally. He scowled at her, while Megan nodded her head in affirmation at the assumption. The blonde, triumphant, returned to her pastry perusing.

"You know what, she can laugh now but she won't know what hit her when she bites into one of your donuts," Wally said conversationally. "Speaking of which, can you box us up a dozen of those?"

"Absolutely!" she chirped, while Conner moved about collecting a box to put them in and Artemis scoffed.

"You're insatiable," she pointed out.

"I'm a growing boy."

"You're twenty-five. The only direction you'll be growing in is outward," Artemis supplied, poking his stomach to emphasize the point. This caused Megan to laugh.

"You two are funny," she said. "Are you two friends? You've never brought her here before, Wally."

Wally appeared sheepish, but he grinned, taking Artemis's hand up in his again. "We're, uh, on our first date, actually."

The squeal that came out of Megan was startling, not to mention murder on Artemis's ear drums. It made her feel a little embarrassed about the whole situation of being out with Wally on a date; she felt her cheeks redden and tried to drop his hand, but he wouldn't let go of it easy, so she was forced to huff and endure the heat on her face.

"That's so _cute_! You guys are cute. You know what? Wait right here, I'm going to get you something fresh right out of the oven, on the house!" Megan said ecstatically. Before either of them could protest she raced away into the back, closely followed by Conner.

"She lives in Gotham?" Artemis rasped out, her eyes wide. "I take her to live in a magical kingdom made out of donut frosting."

Wally snorted.

"Come on, Beautiful, she's just a little upbeat. You should see her on Mondays," he mused.

"I'd rather not," Artemis whispered. The two of them chuckled, then bent low, surveying all the mouth watering treats behind the glass. They conversed in low tones, Wally pointing out what was the most delicious and what was slightly less delicious but still enough to make your taste buds sing.

It felt nice to be here with him like this, in a new place on the first leg of a hopefully new direction in their relationship with one another. She enjoyed having her hand encased with his, despite how sweaty their palms got after a while. It was worth it really.

If someone had told Artemis Crock she'd be in this position with a human months ago, she would have thought they were insane. Now, she didn't even see it as being with a human, she just saw it as being with someone she genuinely liked, who liked her back and seemed to just want her to be comfortable and happy.

It was entirely new, and really, really interesting. She couldn't wait to explore this feeling more with him.

While the two of them were eyeing the baked goods, one of the patrons got up from his table, walking over to the glass as well. He was tall and dark, with close-shaved white-blond hair hugging his scalp, and the most down-tp-earth demeanor Artemis had ever witnessed. She didn't even need to hear him talk to notice it, there was just something in the way he carried himself that told her he was a very well-mannered individual.

"Hello, Wally," the man said with a smile, turning his sea-green eyes to them.

"Oh, hey Kal! Long time no see," Wally beamed; then smiled mischievously. "Coming back for seconds I see."

"I cannot help myself," Kal admitted in mock shame, sighing. He tilted his head around Wally to properly view Artemis, smiling politely and holding out his hand. "I do not believe we have met, but I couldn't help overhear your name earlier. I am Kal Dur'ham, Artemis. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Artemis took his hand and shook it; she liked him already.

"Nice to meet you, Kal. You come here as often as the bottomless pit here?"

"Hey!"

Kal laughed. "I'm afraid not. I would if I could, but I live on the opposite side of Gotham and do not make it this way very much. But when I do, I'm always sure to stop here."

"Don't let him fool you, he's always in here with a coffee and a chocolate eclair," Wally said. "I think he's secretly sugar addicted."

Before anyone could respond to Wally's comment, there was a thud at the window of the shop. All three of them, as well as the other lone patron seated in the corner, turned to look and saw someone taping a white piece of paper to the pane. A second piece of white paper, most likely the same as the first, was pasted right next to it, though it faced inward so that those inside the shop could see it. The guy outside tipped his hat to them, then went on his way.

"What the…" Wally murmured, squinting at the white paper. His face turned ashen. "Oh."

"Ah, " Kal said quietly. "The werewolves again."

Artemis could see the paper clearly. It had a photo of the werewolf that had been shot and killed by Dick about two weeks ago. There had been a write up about it all on the front page of the Gotham newspaper, including a picture of the carcass stretched out by the police vehicle. The whole scenario had caused quite a ruckus for a week, until it died down due to the amount of skeptics who analyzed the picture and insisted it was done with effects and photoshop.

Not to mention several national news sources had gotten ahold of the now infamous picture, and confirmed it to be another one of those 'strange creature washed up on shore' type hoaxes that cropped up from time to time.

It was all just as well. Wally had been edgy when it had all started up, both for Dick, who was right in the thick of it all, and Artemis herself. Artemis had appreciated the concern, but she had honestly been happy at the prospect of it all finally getting out so they could do something about it without having to keep things narrowed down to Dick and his few police officers that agreed with him, or had seen the werewolf themselves.

She should have known it would've all been too good to be true; the national news had shut it all down, now it was back to pockets of people shouting over whether it was real or wasn't.

All of it swept under the rug with a snap of the media's fingers.

"Megan will tear them off," Wally insisted. "She won't want a dead wolf right in her customer's faces while they eat."

"Indeed, she will not. Wally, what do you make of all this, out of curiosity?" Kal inquired.

"Me? I, uh. Think it's ludicrous of course. _Werewolves_, seriously?" Artemis could feel Wally stiffen near her as he said it, and squeezed his hand to let him know it was okay; she didn't want him apologizing to her later for having to pretend he thought her kind was a joke again.

"You believe it is a hoax?" Kal asked, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I mean, people can make any photo believable these days."

"He's got a point," Artemis said, backing him up.

"I suppose he does," Kal mused, looking thoughtful. "Sometimes I do wonder though. Do you?"

"All the time," Wally said hoarsely.

Megan and Conner finally returned. They had another box of a dozen cream filled donuts, fresh right out of the oven. The chipper woman had wrapped a fine pink ribbon around the box, practically cooing at them as they payed for the first box and then bade everyone a farewell.

Wally ripped the two flyers off the outside of the window as they walked passed, crumbling them up in his hands and lobbing them into the first waste bin they came across.

"Wally…" Artemis started, shaking her head.

"I need a donut," he huffed, popping the box open and taking one. Artemis followed suit, nearly crying over how melt-in-her-mouth delicious the round treat was. Wally looked triumphant that she was sufficiently addicted, and the two of them walked back to his apartment shoving donuts into their gullets every step of the way.

The box was empty by the time they reached his door.

"Wally, I had a really good time," she told him earnestly, surprised that it didn't feel awkward to tell him so. She licked the frosting from her fingers while Wally crammed the last bite of donut into his mouth, chewing like a cow. She laughed at the frosting all over his lips. "I want to do this some more."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Definitely," she said, smirking slyly at him. A dopey grin spread over his frosting covered mouth, and Artemis couldn't take it.

She moved to him, closing the gap and kissing his chapped, donut flavoured lips. A thrill shot through her system the moment their lips mashed tenderly together, like someone had run an electric current through her. Wally was quick to respond, humming lightly and resting his hands on her hips while their mouths moved in a slow, tentative tandem, sliding against each other.

Artemis pulled back a bit, just enough to let her tongue dart out and lap up the icing spot clinging to the corner of his mouth, then she was back to that soft, measured kissing. Her eyes shut as she focused on the feel of his lips and his hands and his body heat and his chemicals and laundry detergent smell that she'd hated at first but that now filled her nostrils like a comforting drug.

She'd never even known how much she'd been wanting to kiss him until she was doing it. It lasted for a long time, their noses brushing and tongues poking out just enough to press sensually together right before they pulled away, breaths erratic from the adventure.

Their cheeks were flushed, both of them looking quite pleased with themselves as they stared at each other reverently.

"That was pleasant," Wally mused, seemingly dazed. Artemis chuckled, putting a hand on the back of his neck to pull him down for another quick, chaste kiss that ended far too quickly.

"That's an understatement, Wallman," she whispered.

He pulled her into a hug, and Artemis felt more content than she'd ever been.


End file.
